Dream Masters
by Ghostwriter
Summary: AU NOES 4. Joey, Kristen, and Nancy lead some new dream warriors in a battle against Krueger.
1. Prologue: Bland Dream

DREAM MASTERS

DISCLAIMER

This is merely what I think would've happened in _Dream Master_ had Nancy survived part 3 and is not related to my other Nightmare fics. Starts out the same, but I'll try to make it as different as possible. I'm not sure when the actual film was supposed to take place in context to _Dream Warriors_, but for this fic, it's been a year. By this time, Neil and Nancy have been reinstated at Westin Hills. Story contains some language. I also plan to explore the reason Joey stopped talking in NOES 3, as well as his family relationship, which I'm making up since we didn't really get to see much of it in NOES 4 and may be AU in terms of what we **did** see. Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema and there may be some references to NOES 3.

PROLOGUE: BLAND DREAM

_Kristen Parker walked up to the house, a feeling of apprehension washing over her. She __**hated**__ this place, but she __**had**__ to go in. As she walked up the drive, she suddenly noticed a little girl._

_"Hello," the teen greeted._

_"Hello," the girl answered._

_"Where is he?" the older girl wondered. The girl giggled. _

_"I don't know," she said. Without warning, it began to rain. Kristen let out confused and frightened gasps, and headed for the house._ _As she did so, she suddenly heard a familiar chorus._

_One, two, Freddy's coming for you._

_Three, four, better lock your door._

_Five, six, grab your crucifix. _

_Seven, eight, gonna stay up late._

_Nine, ten, never sleep again. _

_Kristen gasped and took off running. However, she continually found herself in the same room._ Meanwhile, Roland Kincaid and Joey Crusel had just paid for their movie tickets and were walking into the theaters.

"Kincaid, I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Joey complained, as they sat down. He winced slightly when his right arm connected with the chair, but didn't say a word.

"Oh, come on, man. It's a special midnight showing of the remake of _The Blob_. How could we pass it up?" Kincaid retorted.

"Okay, maybe it's a big deal, but I could be at home in bed right now," Joey told him, leaning back in his seat, trying to ignore the pain that radiated from his right shoulder.

"As well you both should be. It's a school night," a voice from behind them reproached. Jumping slightly, Joey and Kincaid turned to see Nancy Thompson, a doctor at Westin Hills.

"Oh. Hey, Nancy," Joey greeted.

"I suppose I don't have to ask what you're both doing here," Nancy stated.

"Hey, the previews looked good," Kincaid defended himself. The credits for the movie started. The trio hunkered down in their seats to enjoy the movie. The movie had barely started when Joey felt his eyes drooping. He jerked awake and tried to focus on the screen. Beside him, Nancy was having the same problem. She yawned.

"Long day?" Joey questioned sleepily.

"No one had any nightmares, but Dr. Simms was pushing me pretty hard," Nancy responded.

"Yeah, well, she's a b---" Joey began to say.

"Watch your language," Nancy interrupted before he could even get the word out. Kincaid glanced at his friends. He scoffed when he saw their closed eyes.

"Posers," he said, making himself even more comfortable. Halfway into the movie, however, he find himself also closing his eyes. _Kristen gasped as she once again came into the same room. __**What the heck is going on?**__ She wondered. There was a loud rapping sound, which soon filled the entire house._

_"Nancy! Joey! Kincaid! I need you!" Kristen shouted. _With simultaneous gasps, Nancy's, Joey's, and Kincaid's eyes all popped open, and the trio flew backwards. _The first one to appear was Kincaid. By this time, the rapping had subsided._

_"Dang it, Kristen! Not again!" Kincaid complained._

_"Sorry, Kincaid," Kristen apologized. "Stick close," she continued. With a sigh, the boy followed his friend. A hand reached out and clasped Kristen's shoulder. With a gasp, she turned around._

_"Joey," she sighed in relief. "For a minute there, I thought you were---" _

_"Who, Freddy?" Joey interrupted harshly as Nancy came up behind them. "Kristen, it's been a year. He's dead. Give it a rest," he continued._

_"I'm not so sure," Kristen said. Joey saw the fright in her eyes and took pity on her._ _"Kristen, come here. Come with us," he_ _continued, his voice softening. He took her by the hand and led her down a familiar hall._

_"The pipes, the boiler---they're both cold," he told her. "Feel it," he encouraged, moving her hand towards the metal. Kristen tried to keep her hand away, but Joey was adamant. Kristen's hand touched cool metal._ _"See? Safe as houses," he assured her._

_"Kristen, what makes you believe he's coming back?" Nancy questioned._

_"I can't really explain it. It---it's just a feeling," Kristen answered._

_"Great. Terrific. So you keep draggin' us in here because of a __**feeling**__?" Kincaid asked angrily._

_"Roland," Nancy admonished. Joey got a look of apprehension on his face. Nancy was one of the few adults who actually adhered to Kincaid's wish of his first name not being used, so when she __**did **__call him Roland, you __**knew**__ he was in trouble_. _"Look, we all obviously need to talk. Let's just wait until we're all awake," the_ _woman suggested. _

_"Yeah, okay," the boys agreed._

_"Kristen?" Nancy asked._

_"Okay," Kristen agreed. "You three wake up," she commanded, sending them away with a flick of her wrist. _With a gasp, the trio awoke.


	2. Chapter One: Warning And Death

DISCLAIMER

Concept belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema as do any familiar characters. I'm only borrowing them. I know Springwood is a fictional Ohio town, but I'm gonna make it a California town.

The next morning at Springwood High, Kristen---who was wearing blue jeans and a white t-shirt---was at her locker, getting her books. When she closed the door, Joey and Kincaid were in front of her.

"Hey, guys," Kristen greeted.

"'Hey guys'? That's all you have to say after last night?" Kincaid demanded. He was wearing a blue shirt with black jeans. Joey was wearing a white shirt and green jacket that had three buttons decorating the right side, almost looking like Mickey Mouse Ears, with black jeans.

"I'm sorry," Kristen apologized.

"'Sorry'? 'Sorry'? I missed the remake of _The Blob_ because of you," Kincaid told her.

"Well, it obviously wasn't any good if you fell asleep," Kristen responded.

"She's got us there," Joey pointed out. He fell silent at Kincaid's glare.

"Look, I'm getting sick and tired of bein' dragged into your crazy dreams. Guys need their beauty sleep too, you know," Kincaid told her.

"He's coming back. I can **feel** it," Kristen insisted.

"Fred Krueger is dead! Dead and consecrated! The sooner you realize that, the better we'll all be able to sleep!" Kincaid angrily told her.

"Kincaid, I'm not so sure," Kristen told him.

"Look, Kristen, I understand why you're worried---believe me I **do**---but you felt the boiler. There was no heat. The metal was cold," Joey reminded her.

"But before you three showed up, the house was filled with a loud rapping sound," Kristen told them.

"The only rapping you heard was in your head. It was just your imagination," Kincaid said. Kristen sighed.

"If you guys have to sleep, at least take your Hypnocil. **Please**?" she implored.

"If it'll keep **you** out of my head, I'll **up** my dosage," Kincaid told her. Before Kristen could respond, her boyfriend Michael Harrington came up.

"There you are. Roxie's been looking for you all over," Michael told her. He was wearing gray jeans, a white shirt, and a letterman's jacket.

"Excuse us. We're kind of in the middle of something here," Kincaid told him. Michael scoffed.

"Excuse **me**, I'm talking to my girlfriend," he stated.

"Man, why do you have to act that way?" Kincaid demanded.

"Act like what? I just wanna spend some time with my girl," Michael told him.

"Could you just give us a few minutes?" Joey requested in a placating tone. _Why is he such a jerk?_ he wondered to himself.

"Or what? You'll both go psycho on me?" Michael taunted.

"Michael," Kristen said sharply.

"What? It's no secret they're crazy. It's why they were both in Westin Hills," Michael said.

"Okay, that's it!" Kincaid shouted. He started for him, but Joey held him back, biting down a cry of pain as his right arm moved.

"You are out of line!" Kristen growled, shoving her boyfriend. The bell rang.

"Come on, Joey. Let's get out of here," Kincaid suggested.

"Yeah, good idea," Joey agreed. They both started off.

"Hey, wait for me!" Kristen called, running towards them.

"Can you believe him?" Kincaid demanded.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what got into him. You know he's not usually like that," Kristen apologized.

"I hate to tell you this Kristen, but when it comes to Westin Hills, he **is** always like that," Joey told her. The three sat walked to their classroom and took their seats. Joey hissed in pain as he used his right hand to steady himself as he sat down.

"Joey?" Kristen asked in concern.

"It's nothing. I'm fine," Joey insisted. Unconvinced, she reached over her desk and pulled up the right sleeve of his jacket. Her eyes darkened when she saw the purplish-green bruise.

"Damn it, Joey! Why are you still letting her do this to you? Why don't you just put a stop to it" she demanded.

"Yeah, man. For real," Kincaid added.

"You know why. If I act out or make a scene, she'll take away my Hypnocil," Joey reminded them, jerking out of her grasp. Then, he turned around and faced the board, effectively ending their conversation. Kristen shook her head angrily and shared a look with Kincaid. As the teacher began the lecture, Joey's mind went back to the previous night's conversation. Kirsten seemed so sure. **Could** Fred Krueger be coming back? Unconsciously, the boy's hand went to his chest. Though the horrible message Krueger had sent to Nancy was no longer there thanks to surgery, he still bore the scars of what the man had done to him. Meanwhile, in his own classroom, Michael drummed his fingers on his desk. He couldn't get the fight with Kristen out of his head. Why had he been so stupid? He knew Kristen was touchy about Westin Hills. He blew out a breath. As soon as class was over, he'd find Kristen and her friends, and apologize to all three of them. Fifty minutes later, the bell rang and Michael grabbed his things and hurried out the door. As soon as Kristen came out of her class, Michael went to approach her. However, she kept herself between Joey and Kincaid, and didn't even look in his direction.

"What's **that** all about?" a voice wondered. Michael turned to see his twin sister, Roxie. The girl was wearing her usual attire of a gray, woolen button up shirt, brown leather jacket, ripped blue jeans, a punk belt, and a punk brass bracelet and ankle cuff.

"Oh, Kristen and I had a fight," Michael answered.

"What stupid thing did you say **this** time?" Roxie questioned.

"How come every time Kristen and I have a fight, you automatically assume it's **my** fault?" Michael demanded.

"Because it usually is," Roxie answered. _She's got me there_, Michael thought to himself. With a sigh, they went off to their next class. The rest of the day, it was the same thing. Michael would try to go towards her, but she made a point to avoid him. At the end of the day, Kristen went to her car.

"Kristen, I'm---" Kincaid began to say.

"It's okay. I'd be mad too if I was in your shoes," Kristen apologized.

"So, you're going to go talk with Nancy?" Joey asked.

"Yeah. You guys don't have to come," Kristen said.

"Give us a call, huh?" Kincaid questioned, punching her lightly on the shoulder.

"Yeah. Let us know how you're feeling," Joey added, rubbing her shoulder gently like Jennifer had once done to him.

"Yeah, sure," Kristen agreed. She got into her car just as Michael approached them.

"Hey, Kristen! Kristen!" Michael called, running up to them.

"Man, take a hint: she **don**'**t** wanna talk to you," Kincaid stated, as he and Joey protectively stood in front of the car.

"Kristen, come on. I said one stupid little thing. You know how much my foot loves to live in my mouth," Michael reminded her.

"You were **way** out of line with that comment about Westin Hills. You have no clue what happened there. We lost a lot of good friends, and I won't have you insulting their memories," Kristen bit off.

"Okay, so you three had a bad experience there. But you have to learn to let others in. The world doesn't revolve around whatever delusions you may have had while you were in that place," Michael told her. Kristen scoffed.

"Up yours with a twirling lawnmower," she snapped. Then, she sped away, barely giving Joey and Kincaid time to move. Minutes later, the teen arrived at _Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital_. She parked and walked up to the desk.

"Hi, Kristen. How are you doing?" the receptionist asked.

"I'm good. Is Nancy in?" Kristen questioned.

"I'm right here," a voice answered. Kristen turned around. "Let's go to my office," Nancy continued. The two walked down the halls towards the woman's office. Once inside, Nancy shut the door and had Kristen sit down. "Now, why do you think Krueger's back?" she wondered.

"It's just this feeling I have. I've had it for the past couple of months and I just can't shake it. He's coming for us. He wants to kill us all," Kristen answered earnestly. Back at his own house, Joey was studying for a history exam and listening to music through his headphones. Then, he felt himself getting sleepy. He reached over to his drawer, opened it, picked up a pill bottle, opened it, and took two tablets. Then, he went back to studying. Meanwhile, Kincaid was just merely lying on his bed. He yawned. Aw, _man. I'm about to fall asleep. __Better get my Hypnocil_, he thought to himself. He turned his head and looked at the drawer, which in his state seemed to be so far away. _Well…one night's not gonna kill me_, he thought again. Then again, he **had** promised Kristen. He tiredly stretched an arm out, but then fell asleep. _When Kincaid opened his eyes again, he was standing in the middle of a room that was pitch-black._

"_What the---" he asked._ _Then the place was filled with a blinding light. "The heck?" he murmured._ _There was a sinister chuckle. The boy froze. "Krueger," he breathed_.

"_Got it in one, brat," the dream stalker said. Suddenly, the light began flickering in and out. Kincaid took off. There was a roar of triumph and pounding footsteps. Kincaid continued running._

"_Kristen! Kristen! He's back!" he shouted._

"_Kristen can't help you," Krueger said. "She's still awake," he continued, sounding even closer than before_. _As Kincaid was running, he became aware of several large objects that threatened to block his path. __Summoning his strength, he grabbed them and tossed them over his shoulder. Suddenly, the boy bumped into something_. _He gasped and fell to the ground. There was a sinister chuckle_. _The boy tried to scramble away, but he was hauled to his feet. _

"_No! NO! KRISTEN!" Kincaid yelled. Then, Kruger's gloves sliced through his chest. The strobe lights pounded, casting an eerie glow on the oozing blood._


	3. Chapter Two: One Down

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I only own the new plot and characters you don't recognize.

The next morning, Kristen was surprised to see police cars at the entrance of Springwood High.

"What's going on?" she wondered to herself. Just then, Roxie came up to her.

"Hi, Kristen," she greeted nervously.

"What's going on? Why are the police---" Kristen's voice trailed off. "Kincaid! Where's Kincaid?" she demanded. She started looking around frantically and Roxie grabbed her shoulders.

"Kincaid's dead. From what I heard, someone broke into his house and attacked him with some sort of sharp object. Now the police are questioning people, trying to figure out if anyone saw somebody strange hanging around the school," she told her.

"NO!" Kristen screeched, jerking out of her grasp. _Kincaid! Why didn't you take your Hypnocil?_ she wondered, as tears began streaming down her face. She stepped back.

"He got to him," she stated fearfully.

"Kristen," Roxie said.

"He got to him and we're next," Kristen continued. Then, "Joey!" She turned around and headed off.

"Kristen!" Roxie cried. Kristen began pushing through the crowd, Roxie at her heels.

"Kristen, stop!" Roxie told her, grabbing her friend's shoulder.

"Joey! I gotta find Joey!" Kristen insisted, yanking out of the grasp.

"I'm sure he's fine," Roxie assured.

"I need to see for myself," Kristen snapped. Someone let out an indignant exclamation as she pushed past them.

"Kristen!" someone shouted.

"Joey!" Kristen cried in relief.

"Kristen!" Joey yelled again, as both friends pushed through the crowd.

"Joey," Kristen sobbed, falling into his arms.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I should've believed you. I should've trusted you. I'm so sorry," Joey apologized emotionally.

"I'm just glad he didn't get you too," Kristen stated thickly.

"We'll make that son of a bitch pay, I promise," Joey declared.

"Nancy. We gotta talk to Nancy," Kristen stated.

"Come on. Let's go," Joey said. With that, they headed for Joey's car.

"Hey! What about **your** car?" Roxie wondered.

"Take it home and leave it there!" Kristen replied, throwing her friend the keys.

"KRISTEN! HEY, KRISTEN!" the two turned to see Michael. "Where are you going?" her boyfriend asked.

"To get us some help. We're gonna need it," Kristen replied.

"Come on," Joey said, gently helping her into the car.

"Well, I'll come with you," Michael offered.

"This **doesn**'**t** concern you. This is **our** fight, not **yours**," Kristen told him, buckling her seatbelt. Michael watched in disbelief as Joey drove away. As he drove down the familiar route to _Westin Hills_, Joey's eyes clouded. He couldn't believe that freak was back. Why had he been so quick to dismiss Kristen's concerns? Maybe if he hadn't, Kincaid wouldn't be---

"Are you okay?" Kristen questioned, breaking into his thoughts.

"It's just---Kincaid. Maybe I could've saved him if only I had listened to you," Joey confessed.

"Joey, this wasn't your fault. You know that," Kristen reminded him.

"Yeah, I know. It was that **bastard**," Joey answered with a growl.

"Well, you sure got a mouth now that you talk," Kristen quipped. Joey glared and Kristen fell silent. Minutes later, they were at _Westin Hills_. Joey parked and the two teens hurried into the building.

"Joey, Kristen. What are you two doing here?" Max questioned.

"We need to talk to Nancy," Kristen told the orderly as Dr. Simms came out.

"Dr. Thompson is with a patient. However, you can wait," Dr. Simms told them.

"No, it can't. We need to see her **now**!" Joey insisted.

"Mr. Crusel, I know you and Ms. Parker are **more** than aware of our procedures," Dr. Simms bitingly reminded him.

"Listen, you overbearing windbag! We need to see Nancy **now**!" Kristen screamed, lunging towards her.

"Guards!" Dr. Simms yelled as Max intercepted the girl.

"Don't you touch her!" Joey cried, coming to his friend's aid. Surprised at the unexpected attack, Max put out an arm to block Joey. However, he miscalculated the force he was using and knocked the boy to the ground. Without thinking, Joey used his right hand to break his fall. He gave a pained cry when his arm hit the floor.

"Joey!" Kristen exclaimed. She broke out of Max's hold and knelt beside him.

"Are you okay?" she asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he assured.

"Hey, man. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to---" Max began to apologize.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here?" a voice interrupted. Everyone turned to see Neil Gordon and Nancy.

"Kristen? Joey? What are you doing here?" Neil wondered. The teens looked at each other.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Nancy asked.

"Kincaid's dead," Kristen replied.


	4. Chapter Three: History And Secrets

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Jayme: Thanks. Here you go.

DISCLAIMER

Still don't belong to me, but Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I only own stuff you don't recognize.

"What?" Nancy gasped.

"There were police at school. Apparently someone broke into his house and---" Kristen broke into sobs. Nancy walked over to them, knelt down, and wrapped her into a hug. Joey joined them and also wrapped his friend in a hug, discreetly favoring his right arm.

"Come on. Let's go somewhere private," the woman suggested.

"That's a good idea," Joey agreed. They all stood up, and Nancy, Neil, Joey, and Kristen went off to the room that they used for group.

"Now...what **really** happened?" Nancy questioned.

"Krueger," Joey responded.

"Oh, no," Nancy said.

"You're sure? I mean, did you see it happen?" Neil questioned.

"No, we didn't see! I can't speak for Kristen, but I was at home, studying. When I got sleepy, I took some Hypnocil," Joey answered.

"He wants to kill us all. We're the ones who got away," Kristen added.

"I know," Nancy said.

"What do we do now?" Kristen wondered.

"Well, one thing for sure, we're **not** gonna sit around and wait for him," Joey declared in determination.

"Do you have a plan?" Neil questioned.

"Hey, I'm still wrapping my mind around the fact that he's back," Joey defended. He looked to the older woman. "Nancy, I don't know if can face him again. Not after what he did to me," he admitted.

"I understand. And you do **not** have to join this fight. You have the right to choose to stay out of it," Nancy told him.

"Thank you," Joey sighed. "I can still help you plan though," he offered.

"That'd be great," Kristen told him. The small group sat down and leaned in towards each other. Meanwhile, Springwood High was buzzing with the news of Kincaid's death, as well as Kristen and Joey's surprising exit.

"I always knew they were still crazy. Once a psycho, always a psycho," a boy said. Michael grabbed him and angrily slammed him against a locker.

"You watch your mouth," he growled. "Kristen's not crazy. She's as sane as you or me," he told him.

"Michael, she believes that Fred Krueger tried to kill her last year," the boy reminded him.

"Who?" Rick questioned.

"What? You don't know who Fred Krueger is?" the boy asked in surprise. Michael shook head in confusion.

"Jack, I've only lived here for six months, remember?" he reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. That's right," Jack said. "Well, years ago, Fred Krueger murdered like, twenty kids in the neighborhood, was arrested, and set free on some technicality. The parents got ticked, followed him to his lair, and roasted him," he continued.

"Oh, great. Nice parents," Michael said.

"Yeah, well, Kristen became obsessed with Krueger and started claiming that he was trying to kill her in her dreams, which was why she was sent to the psycho ward," Jack told him.

"Man, I can't believe she never told me," Michael stated.

"My advice is to get out now. You don't need that kind of drama," Jack advised.

"I can't just dump her!" Michael objected.

"I'm tellin' ya, man, the sooner you drop Kristen, the sooner your life will be less complicated," Jack insisted. While this was going on, Erica Crusel had shown up at Springwood High to make sure Joey had actually gone to school. Her eyes darkened angrily when she learned that he had left the premises with Kristen after hearing about Kincaid's death. _That little brat! When I get a hold of him…_she thought to herself.

"I'm not sure where they went," Principal Lerner stated.

"It's okay. I have a pretty good idea of where he went," Mrs. Crusel responded. She turned on her heel and walked to her car. She put the vehicle in gear and headed for the psychiatric hospital. Back at _Westin Hills_, the foursome hadn't come up with a plan, but Kristen and Joey definitely felt better. Everyone walked back to the lobby. Just then, the entrance opened with a bang. Joey froze.

"Mom," he uttered in fear.

"Joey, what the **hell** do you think you're doing?" Mrs. Crusel demanded.

"One of my best friends was just murdered. I needed someone to talk to," Joey answered.

"I'm taking you home right now," Mrs. Crusel stated. Joey started walking towards her, but Kristen grabbed his shoulder.

"You don't have to go anywhere, Joey," she whispered in his ear.

"It's okay. I'll be okay," he assured her. Then, he continued towards his mother. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I didn't mean to," he apologized, before following her out the door.

"Every time I see that woman, I dislike her more and more," Nancy muttered. Neil nodded in agreement. As his mother drove home, Joey kept his mouth shut and eyes on the floor. Minutes later, they were home. The two got out of the car and Mrs. Crusel grabbed Joey's arm and dragged him towards the entrance. She unlocked the door, and then pushed him inside.

"Mom---" he began to say.

"Shut it! Do you know how embarrassing it is to be called up and told that your son is skipping school?" the woman interrupted.

"I told you, one of my best friends was killed, and I needed someone to talk to. So I went to _Westin Hills_ to see Nan---Dr. Thompson," the boy defended himself, correcting his speech.

"Still disrespectful as ever I see," Mrs. Crusel stated, catching the slip. Joey's eyes widened slightly.

"Mom, she **lets** us call her by her first name. She **encourages** it," he told her.

"Your father and I didn't raise you to be a disrespectful little punk," Mrs. Crusel sneered. Joey averted his gaze. She grabbed his right arm and tugged. He cried out in pain.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, brat!" she yelled, shaking him. "You think you're such a big man? You think you deserve what you have? Well, you don't! You don't deserve anything, you ungrateful little brat!" she berated.

"Mom, **don**'**t**!" Joey cried, yanking free. Her eyes darkened even more, and she reared back an arm. Joey cringed and did his best to fend off the coming blows.


	5. Chapter Four: Fight And Desperate Dreams

SHOUTOUTS/ANSWERS

Sassychick (Ch 3): Thanks. Glad you like it. Here's more.

Windyfontaine (Ch 1-4): Yep. That's okay. As long as you enjoy. Thanks, glad you think so. Enjoy. Yep, yeah, I have a nasty habit of torturing my favorite characters. We'll see. Yep. Thanks. Enjoy. We'll see. That's right. Read and find out when you get back from vacation. Thanks, have fun. I will.

Darkness Takes Over (Ch 2, 4): Glad you approve. Thanks. Yeah he's cool, but he's no Joey. Yeah, I know. Glad you're enjoyin' though. Thanks.

Jayme: Thanks.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I kinda steal a line from the Supernatural ep _In My Time of Dying_, but only 'cause I figured it fit with Joey's personality.

The next morning, Joey's body protested in pain as he stretched. The events of the previous night flooded his mind, and he shuddered. Sitting up, he ran his hands over his face. What was he going to do?

"Joey!" he heard his mother yell.

"I'm up, Mom!" he called back.

"Well, get your butt in gear!" she told him. Joey carefully hopped off of his waterbed and went to his closet. He reached for a shirt, and hissed in pain. Then, he quickly, but carefully, got dressed. After he was done, he grabbed his backpack and went to the kitchen, where his mother was making breakfast. Joey bit back a scoff. Who was she kidding? June Cleaver she wasn't.

"You think you're going to go to school dressed like that?" Mrs. Crusel questioned, glancing at him.

"What's wrong with it?" Joey asked, trying to keep his temper in check.

"You look like a hoodlum," Mrs. Crusel responded.

"I look fine, Mom," Joey told her.

"What have I told you about backtalk in this house?" the woman demanded, brandishing her cooking spoon.

"Could we---**not** argue for once? Half the time, I don't even know what we're fighting about," the boy stated.

"I don't know why I even bother. If your father was alive---" Mrs. Crusel started to threaten.

"If Dad was alive, he wouldn't let you act this way!" Joey interrupted. Then, at her glare, "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for." Mrs. Crusel looked at her son. "I miss him too, you know. But blaming me and beating me to a pulp is **not** gonna bring him back," he continued. The woman didn't answer. He reached and touched her wrist. "The way he died…I know it was horrible," he said.

"Your father died in his sleep," the woman said.

"But it wasn't peaceful, and you know it," he insisted.

"Joey," his mother said warningly.

"I heard him yelling and choking. Whatever killed him was pretty nasty," Joey said.

"Joey, don't you start talking crazy again," Mrs. Crusel warned.

"It's not crazy, Mom! I know what I heard! Something killed Dad!" Joey cried.

"That's enough of your crap!" Mrs. Crusel shouted, striking his face with the spoon. Joey cried out in pain as the wood splintered and broke against his cheek. For a moment, mother and son just stared at each other.

"I'm going to school," Joey finally said. He grabbed his backpack and headed out the door. He got into his car and then drove off. He cranked up the stereo and tried to block out his pain. _Man, why does she do this? Why can't I catch a break?_ He thought. His emotions overcame him and he let out a choked sob.

"Damn it," he whispered angrily. He pulled his car to the side of the road and stopped. His body shook as silent sobs racked his body. Then, he angrily swiped his eyes. "Pull yourself together, Crusel. You're seventeen, for Pete's sakes," he berated himself. He restarted the car and continued on to Springwood High. Minutes later, he arrived at the parking lot. Inside the school, Kristen was waiting frantically, but trying not to show it. Had Krueger gotten Joey too? Had his mom hurt him? Was he okay? Roxie looked at her friend.

"Quit worrying. I'm sure he's fine," she assured.

"You can't promise me that. You don't know," Kristen responded. Before Roxie could reply, Kristen saw her friend. "Joey!" she called, going to meet him. She stopped when she saw the mark.

"What'd she do?" she asked.

"Not here," he answered. She grabbed his wrist and took him to a secluded part of the hallway.

"What happened?" she asked softly.

"We got into another fight…it ended badly," he said.

"Yeah, no kidding," she sarcastically stated. The boy leaned against the wall.

"At this point, I'm starting to think I'd be better off if I just let Krueger kill me," he admitted.

"Don't say that! Don't you **ever** say that," she snapped, smacking him lightly. Joey winced.

"I just---I don't know what to do anymore, Kristen," Joey admitted. "She's just keeps gettin' worse and worse, and one of these days, I'm afraid she's gonna end up---" his voice ended in shaky breathing.

"So, why don't you just come clean? Tell someone what's going on?" Kristen suggested, as they both ignored the bell that began ringing.

"I don't know. I just---I don't know," Joey said. He sighed and dumped his face in his hands. Kristen gently rubbed a hand over his arm. Meanwhile, in his own class that had just started, Michael fought to keep his eyes open. However, it proved to be a losing struggle. _Michael looked around. Where the heck was he? Steam hissed out of some old pipes._

_"Hello?" Michael questioned, as he began walking around. There was a rasping chuckle._

_"Michael," a voice whispered._

_"Hello?" Michael asked. SCREE! The boy gasped. What was going on_? _He heard rasping breathing._

_"Michael," a man whispered again, sounding closer this time. The boy heard the sound of tearing cloth, and he took off_. _There was a shout of delight._

_"Help me! Somebody!" Michael cried_._ He suddenly found himself at a dead end. "What? This is impossible," he said. Hearing a rasping laugh, he turned around. To his surprise, a man wearing a brown fedora and a red-and-green sweater was approaching him. Who was this guy? The man gave a sinister grin and chuckled. Michael stared at him. The guy looked sort of familiar. Kind of like the description of that guy Jack was talking about. What was his name again? Krueger? The man reared back his right arm and the boy caught sight of the four gleaming knives. _

_"Help! Kristen! Kristen!"_ _Michael shouted._ In the hall, Kristen swayed as a sensation of sleepiness came upon her.

"Hey, whoa," Joey said, catching her. "You okay?" he questioned.

"I'm being pulled into somebody's dream," Kristen responded.

"What?" Joey asked. He knew Kristen could bring people into his dreams, but he hadn't known that she could be pulled into somebody else's. "Has this ever happened before?" he questioned, as he also started to feel lightheaded.

"No," Kristen answered. Then, the two tumbled to the ground and disappeared. _Joey and Kristen looked around._

_"Oh, man. Not __**this**__ place again," Joey groaned._

_"HELP ME!" they heard Michael shout._

_"Leave him alone you son of a bitch!" Kristen screamed. She did a series of somersaults through the air and kicked Krueger away. With a roar, the man turned around._

_"__**YOU**__!" he yelled as Michael scrambled towards Joey._

_"You okay?" Joey asked._

_"Yeah. Who is this guy?" Michael wondered_.

_"Never mind that. Let's just get out of here," Joey said. They took off. Krueger chuckled. Then, they found themselves face-to-face with another dead end. Above them, pipes hissed and steamed. _

_"No!" Michael exclaimed. "How is this happening?" he wondered._

_"Stay calm. Don't give him any power," Kristen advised. Krueger chuckled in anticipation. He finally had them._

_"Elm Street's last brats---ripe for the picking," he stated. He started for them. Kristen did a handspring and launched herself into the air. To Joey's amazement, she twisted and turned before letting out two kicks that knocked the dream monster back. Krueger grunted._

_"Whoa! Where did she learn how to---" Michael's voice trailed off in confusion._

_"I don't know," Joey answered. Yeah, the gymnastics were part of Kristen's dream skills, but he had never seen her perform a move like __**that**__ before. Krueger continued to approach. The man made a swipe at her and she jumped out of the way. The man growled in annoyance. The teens backed up until their backs hit the wall._

_"What's the matter, brats? All out of courage?" Krueger taunted. _

_"You wish, freak," Joey shot back._

_"What would your mother say about your backtalk, Joey?" Krueger sneered. _

_"Screw you, Krueger," Joey snapped, trying not to think about how his body froze at the thought of the woman. For an answer, Krueger merely scraped his razors along the wall and continued closer._

_"Joey, why fight me?" he asked. "I can make all the pain stop. All you have to do is sleep," he continued, holding out his other hand. Joey looked to the outstretched appendage to see four pills._

_"No," he denied. __**I **__**won't**__** do it. I won't make that mistake again**__, he thought._

_"Come on. One little handful and you never have to worry again. You'll never be hurt again. You'll be safe," Krueger wheedled. Joey found himself staring at the pills. Maybe he __**should**__. Things between him and his mom weren't getting any better. In fact, they were worse._

_"Come on, Joey," Krueger wheedled. Joey tentatively reached out a hand._

_"Joey, no," Kristen said, tugging on his good arm._

_"Yes. That's it," Krueger chuckled. Joey stopped._

_"No," Joey stated. _

_"What?" Krueger asked._

_"NOOOOOOOO!" Joey screamed. The walls shook and Krueger flew back a few feet. Michael and Kristen stared at the boy in surprise._

_"What the heck was __**that**__?" Michael wondered._

_"I don't know," Joey admitted. His power had never had __**that**__ effect before. _

_"Nice trick, Joey," Krueger said. "Now, see mine!" Before the teens could even blink, the man was in the midst of them! They screamed as Krueger hoisted Joey into the air._

_"JOEY!" Kristen screeched. The boy strained his hand upward. Krueger started to strike. With a burst of adrenaline, Joey grabbed the pipe above his head. He screamed as heat seared through his body. _With a gasp, Kristen and Joey awoke. Joey winced in pain and turned his hand over. For a moment, they stared, and then locked eyes. Right where he had grabbed the pipe was a rectangular burn mark.


	6. Chapter Five: Getting Help

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Sassychick: Thanks.

Darkness Takes Over: Glad you liked it. Perhaps. Read on and see. Thanks, I will.

Jayme: Thanks. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema.

"You okay?" Kristen asked, moving beside him.

"Yeah, but I could use a trip to the nurse's station," Joey answered through a pain-filled voice.

"Good idea," Kristen agreed. They hurried down the hall, Michael at their heels. Suddenly, they were met by Lisa, the hall monitor.

"Where do you three think you're going?" she questioned

"I burned my hand," Joey answered, showing her the wound.

"Oh, my gosh. How on earth did you do **that**?" she wondered.

"It's a long story," he told her. "Could we have a few hall passes?" he requested.

"Yes, of course," Lisa agreed. She wrote out the slips and gave them to the trio, who then went on their way.

"You know, there's just---there's just one thing I don't understand," Michael stated.

"What's that?" Joey questioned.

"How can something that happens in our dreams affect us here?" Michael wondered.

"The dream world's Krueger's playground, but as best as I can figure, he must have **some** power in the real world that causes what happens there to show up here," Joey answered.

"We could always ask Nancy," Kristen stated.

"Good idea," Joey agreed as they reached the nurse's station.

"May I help you?" the nurse at the desk questioned. She was in her mid-twenties and very attractive.

"Yeah, I burned myself," Joey replied, showing her his hand.

"Oh, my word. How did you do **that**?" the nurse gasped.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Joey responded. As the woman bent down to get a bandage out the drawer, Joey was able to catch a glimpse of her chest area. Hurriedly, he looked further up. _Focus on her face_, he thought to himself. The woman leaned and put ointment on the wound. He winced in pain.

"Ow," he said.

"Sorry. Shoulda warned ya," she apologized. Then, she wrapped the gauze around his hand. "There you are," she told him.

"Thanks," he responded. Then, they walked out.

"Man! That is one hot babe! And when she leaned over---" Michael began.

"Aaah---aaah. Don't even finish that sentence," Joey interrupted.

"Dude, how could you not---" Michael began to ask.

"Cause the last time I went with my hormones, I ended up tongue-tied to a bed over a raging volcano," Joey interrupted again.

"Yeah, **that** did not look fun," Kristen agreed.

"It wasn't," Joey agreed. Michael stared at them. _O…kay_, he thought. Then he shrugged. Maybe it was something that he had dreamed about. Of course, that sounded like a pretty whacked out dream.

"So, what's the plan now?" Michael wondered.

"We talk to Nancy," Joey answered. With that, he and Kristen hurried down the hall. As Michael ran to catch up with them, his mind wandered. Who was Nancy? And what would **she** know about his freaky dream?

"Now where are you going?" Lisa questioned as they ran past her.

"Personal day. We'll make up the work," Joey called. With a huff, she threw up her hands and sighed. What was she going to do with them? Once again, Joey and Kristen got into Joey's car, but this time, Michael came with them.

"Should I drive?" Kristen questioned as she and her boyfriend got in the car.

"No, I'll be fine," Joey responded. Then, he started the engine and took off. Within minutes, they were at Westin Hills. Joey parked, and then they all rushed into the building. Nancy and Neil were making their rounds when they heard a door bang open.

"What in the world?" Neil wondered. They went to investigate.

"Joey. Kristen. What's wrong?" Nancy questioned.

"We got work to do," Joey announced.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I wasn't sure how to describe what Joey's trap in the dream world, but it kinda looked like a volcano to me. If I'm wrong, tell me and I'll fix it. I'm also thinking of using a scene from Dream Masters later in the story, but I'm not sure yet.


	7. Chapter Six: Another Warrior

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Sassychick: Yep. Glad to see I'm not the only one thought that. Thanks, here's more.

Darkness Takes Over: Thanks. That seems to be the general consensus.

Jayme: Thanks. Okey-doke.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema.

"What happened?" Nancy asked.

"He's back," Kristen replied.

"What?" Neil asked.

"You're sure?" Nancy questioned at the same time. Joey held up his injured hand.

"He nearly killed us. If I hadn't burned my hand on a pipe…" his voice trailed off.

"And your face?" Neil queried.

"You two know as well as I do that he hits hard," came the answer. Kristen let out a disapproving sigh. Neil looked at the teens in surprise. What was going on between them? Then, the second boy spoke up.

"Could somebody please explain what exactly is going on? I thought Krueger was dead. I mean, he got roasted by your parents, right?" he questioned.

"Yeah, and now he's making **us** pay for what **they** did," Kristen responded, leaning closer to Joey, who took her into a half hug.

"Nancy, he wants to kill us…and he's not gonna stop until we're all dead," he stated.

"I know," Nancy said, putting a hand on his right arm. Joey hissed in pain. "Joey?" she asked. Without giving him a chance to protest, she pushed up the shirt sleeve.

"What the hell?" she demanded as Neil came to stand beside his colleague. Joey's shoulders slumped. "What's going on, Joey?" Nancy asked in a firmly controlled voice.

"What am I supposed to do? She's my mom," Joey said.

"I swear, I'm going to kill that bi---" Nancy started to say.

"Nancy, hold on. We've got more important things to worry about than my psycho mother," Joey interrupted frantically. Nancy let out a sigh.

"You're right. But after this thing with Krueger…" she let the sentence trail off, telling Joey that she wasn't going to let the issue drop.

"Nancy, there was, um---something---something---something **strange** happened in our dream," Joey commented.

"What do you mean?" Nancy questioned.

"Well, first off, Kristen and I got pulled into Michael's dream---" Joey started to say.

"Wait. Uh---**Kristen** got pulled into a dream?" Nancy questioned.

"Very weird sensation. I'm never doing that to you guys again," Kristen confirmed.

"And then, when she was doing her gymnastics, it was like they got kicked up a notch," Joey continued. "It was actually kinda cool," he added with a small grin. Knowing exactly what her friend was thinking, Kristen smacked him in the chest. "Hey, watch it," he protested good-naturedly.

"And then when he screamed, that Krueger guy got knocked back," the second boy added.

"They're growing," Nancy realized.

"What?" the kids asked.

"Your dream powers---they're expanding," Nancy told them.

"That would explain why you actually got pulled **into** a dream---especially since you and Michael are boyfriend and girlfriend," Joey stated.

"That doesn't explain anything, and what does she mean, dream powers?" Michael chimed in.

"It's who we are and what we can do in our dreams," Joey said. "Like her gymnastics, and my voice," he continued.

"And she's also able to be pulled into somebody's dream?" Michael asked.

"Well, actually, that's new too 'cause she's usually the one who does the pulling," Joey answered.

"Huh?" Michael questioned.

"Yeah. I can bring people into my dream…you know, when I don't take my Hypnocil," Kristen added.

"So, what do we do?" Joey asked. Before anyone could answer, they all heard a banging sound.

"What the---" they all followed the sound and found a girl running down the halls, banging a cart against the doors. Joey's mind flashed to when he had done the very same thing with a food tray. The boy caught up with the girl and turned her around.

"Where?" he asked.

"South Wing---he's dragging him to a ledge," the girl answered.

"Go!" Joey cried. She continued as he turned around and ran off, with the others close behind. When they got to the South Wing and saw the boy who appeared to be struggling against something, Nancy gasped.

"It's Alex! He's narcoleptic," she told them.

"Damn it," Joey swore. He quickened his pace. He had to wake this kid up before Krueger killed him. Joey grabbed his arm.

"Come on, man. Wake up," he urged, shaking him. He felt the boy being pulled away and tightened his grip. "COME ON, MAN! DON'T YOU LET HIM KILL YOU!" he shouted. Suddenly, there was a blinding light and yell of pain. When the light dissipated, the boy was okay.

"Alex, are you okay?" Nancy asked in concern.

"Holy cow," Alex breathed.

"What the hell was **that**?" Joey wondered.

"Looks like we got another warrior," Nancy grinned.


	8. Chapter Seven: Explanation

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Windyfontaine (Chs 5-7): Glad to see you. That's okay. Yep. It'll happen. Perhaps. You'll have to wait and see. Yes, he did. Glad you liked it. Enjoy. I'm glad. Glad you think so. I think I am. Enjoy. Thanks. Yep. Glad you think so. Awesome. I will, thanks.

Jayme: thanks. Glad you like. Here's more.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to New Line Cinema and Wes Craven. I only own characters you don't recognize.

"A what?" the boy questioned. What was Nancy talking about?

"A warrior. You obviously have a dream power," Joey responded.

"Look, man, I don't know what you're talkin' about. I'm just a narcoleptic who happened to sleepwalk tonight while having a bad dream," the boy lied. _I can't tell them the truth. They'll think I'm crazier than they already do_, he thought to himself.

"Alex, it's okay. You can level with us," Nancy assured.

"There's nothing to level about. I'll just go back to my room," Alex said. He started past them.

"The guy in your dream---was he burned with a weird hat?" Kristen questioned. Alex froze and turned around. _How does she know about him? I never told anyone_, he thought to himself.

"Yeah," he answered. "And he had a red-and-green sweater, really dirty. And his right hand---he had---" his voice hitched and trailed off.

"Knives for fingers," Joey finished.

"Who is he?" Alex wondered.

"His name is Fred Krueger," Nancy told him.

"He was a sadistic bastard that killed a bunch of kids when he was alive. Now that he's dead, he finds his victims in their dreams," Joey replied.

"I don't wanna die," Alex told them.

"We're not going to let you," Kristen promised.

"What can **you** do?" Alex questioned.

"We beat this son of a bitch once before. We can do it again," Joey assured him.

"Is anyone here taking Hypnocil?" Kristen asked.

"Only the patients under mine and Neil's care," Nancy responded.

"So that means Krueger's still got a pretty big playground," Joey surmised.

"Yes, unfortunately," Neil answered.

"Okay, this is why I'm glad my mom's in Reno with a new boyfriend. If she wasn't, she'd try to have me committed again," Kristen stated. Joey blew out a breath and messed up his hair. He didn't wanna do this, but he couldn't just let the freak keep on killing.

"Great terrific," he said. "I just better not end up tongue tied again," he continued.

"Huh?" Alex questioned.

"Never mind," Joey told him.

"W---wait. You wanna **fight** this guy? You know what happened in my dream. You know what he can do. We can't stop him," Michael protested fearfully.

"Yeah, for real, man. What I did was just a fluke. I don't think I could do it again," Alex added in the same tone.

"We need to figure out what kids are dreaming of Krueger," Kristen said.

"Well, Dr. Simms won't---" Neil began to say.

"I don't **care** what that bitch will or won't do," Joey interrupted.

"Joey!" Nancy reprimanded.

"Sorry," the boy muttered. Then, "Can't you guys at least **try** to get the kids to talk with you?"

"We can try, but---I'm not sure it'll do any good," Neil said.

"Neil, Joey's right. We have to try. I'm not gonna let that bastard start killing again," Nancy stated. Just then, Joey swore.

"What's the matter?" Neil asked.

"My mom---if she finds out I skipped again, she'll flip!" Joey exclaimed. He started for the door, but Nancy grabbed his good arm.

"You do **not** have to go back to her," the woman told him. Joey looked at her.

"You---you don't understand," he said. "I **gotta** go back. I've gotta do whatever she says or---" he cut himself off.

"Or what, Joey? What will she do?" Nancy queried.

"Nothing. I---I---" Joey stammered.

"Joey," Nancy said. He sighed and hung his head.

"She'll take away my Hypnocil," he admitted softly. "Nancy, can't you see? I can't fight her. I don't want Krueger getting me again," he said. Then, before anyone could say anything, Joey ran out of the hospital.


	9. Chapter Eight: Rescued

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Windyfontaine: Yeah. We'll see. True. Maybe. Don't apologize, that's a good thing. Thanks, sure. You too.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I just own the plot. I'm not sure if Joey had a phone in his room or not. He seemed to in the pictures from the DVD image vault. If I'm wrong, however, I apologize. Since I have Nancy and the kids staying in touch, she knows where Joey lives.

A few minutes later, Joey pulled into the school's parking lot and switched the engine off. Then, he looked around. Maybe no one had called this time. Maybe it'd be okay.

"JOEY!" a voice yelled. Then again, maybe not.

"Damn it," Joey whispered. His body tensed as he watched the woman approach his vehicle.

"Damn it, Joey! I'm getting sick of your crap!" she yelled.

"Mom, I---" Joey began to say.

"Shut up and get out of the car," Mrs. Crusel interrupted. Joey's fingers tightened around the steering wheel. "Joey, don't make me tell you again," she threatened. He blew out a breath, trying to calm his raging emotions. He didn't want to get into another fight.

"Joey," Mrs. Crusel warned again.

"Let's not fight. Please? I hate it when we fight," Joey said in a resigned tone.

"Then stop pissing me off," Mrs. Crusel told him. "Now…get…out…of the car," she continued. Joey sighed.

"Okay," he agreed. With that, he stood up and hopped out of the vehicle. The woman watched as he carefully got into her car.

"I'll get your car later," she told him.

"Thanks," he said softly. _Why can't I get a break with her?_ he wondered. However, he kept his mouth shut as they headed home.

"Go to your room," she ordered. With slumped shoulders, the boy did as he was told. He sat on his bed.

"Man, I must be crazy for putting up with this," he said, rubbing his face with his hands. But what was he supposed to do? The sound of his mother's footsteps caused the boy to tense.

"You know, I'm getting really tired of having the same discussion with you," Mrs. Crusel declared. Joey kept his eyes on the floor. "I work hard to provide for you, and this is how you repay me, well I'm not taking that anymore," she said. Hearing a drawer opening, he looked up.

"What are---" his question trailed off as she put his bottle of Hypnocil in her pocket. "Mom?" he asked, standing up.

"Maybe now you'll think twice before disobeying me," she said, turning to the door.

"Give me my pills, Mom," Joey demanded.

"You watch your tone with me, boy," she threatened, turning back to face him.

"Then give me my pills," he continued.

"No," was her answer.

"Give me my damn pills!" Joey shouted, making a grab for the purse. There was a brief struggle until a smack across the face felled the boy.

"Damn it, Joey! Why do you always have to act like such a brat?" Mrs. Crusel demanded, kicking him.

"I just want my pills," Joey said. "I need them---you know that," he continued.

"The only thing you **need** is to think about what you've done and why I've taken your pills. When you're ready to apologize, I'll give them back," she told him. She let out a final kick, walked out, and closed the door.

"Aw, damn it," he groaned, carefully getting up. Then, he heard the click of his lock. "The hell?" he asked. He hurried towards the door and tried the knob.

"You bitch! You locked me in?!" he shouted. He started pounding on the door. "Let me out! Let me out!" When the knocks went unheeded, he added kicking. "You crazy?! You can't keep me in here! Let me out now!" Receiving no answer, he messed up his hair with his hands. What was he going to do? Without the Hypnocil, he was sure to dream when he eventually fell asleep, and then Krueger could get him. _I gotta---I gotta get some help. But who---_these frantic thoughts trailed away as he ran to his phone. _Please still be there, please still be there, please still be there_, he implored silently, as he dialed a number.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on," he said impatiently as the phone rang.

"Hello?" he finally heard much to his relief.

"Nancy?" he questioned.

"Joey? What's wrong?" Nancy asked him.

"She's finally flipped. She took away my Hypnocil and locked me in my room," Joey told her.

"I'll be right there," Nancy promised. They hung up and Joey sat back on the bed. It would all be okay now. Nancy was coming. She would get him out of here. In her car, Nancy was fuming. _I __**knew**__ I shouldn't have let him go!_ she silently berated herself. She had always had a bad vibe around Mrs. Crusel. Why hadn't she listened to her instincts? _If anything happens to Joey, I swear I'll kill her_, she thought angrily. Within minutes, she was at the boy's house. She parked her car, walked up to the door, and knocked. Not hearing an answer, she knocked again.

"All right! All right!" she heard. The door opened to reveal the boy's mother. "Oh, it's **you**," she said, seeing Nancy.

"Is Joey home?" the woman asked, pretending not to know what was going on.

"He doesn't want to see anybody," Mrs. Crusel answered.

"He doesn't want to, or you won't let him?" Nancy retorted, dropping her façade. The woman looked taken aback in the change of attitude.

"What are you talking about?" Mrs. Crusel asked.

"I want to see Joey…**now**," Nancy demanded.

"Look, you can't just come barging---" Mrs. Crusel began.

"He's still my patient. I have a right to check up on him," Nancy interrupted.

"I'm sorry, but like I told you, Joey doesn't want to see anybody, so you'll have to leave," Mrs. Crusel stated.

"Okay," Nancy said. She turned around and Mrs. Crusel started to close the door. Suddenly, turned back, reared back a fist, and punched. As the older woman fell to the ground like a stone, Nancy ran past her, grabbed her purse, and up the stairs.

"Joey?" she called. In his room, Joey's heart leaped in relief as he heard the frantic footsteps. Nancy was here! He ran to the door.

"Joey?" the woman called again.

"Nancy! Hurry please!" he exclaimed, banging on the door. He wanted out. He couldn't take it anymore. Nancy followed the sound flesh hitting wood and quickly snatched the keys from the purse.

"Oh, come on. Which one is it?" she wondered. She put one in the hole.

"Nancy…please hurry," Joey implored. After a few more tries, Nancy finally found the right key. Joey gasped as the door opened.

"Come on," Nancy said. They both ran down stairs.

"Wait. What about my mom?" Joey asked in concern.

"Oh, I don't think she'll be a problem," Nancy replied. Slightly confused, he followed her gaze.

"Damn! That must've been some punch," he commented as they hurried out the door. Then, they got into Nancy's car and drove away.


	10. Chapter Nine: Another Killed

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Corrupt Justice: Didn't have to, but thanks. Cool. Uh, go with 3, 4, and 7. In my opinion, those are the best sequels. Thanks, I will.

Sassychick: Glad you approve. Yep. I think you just answered your own question. Thanks, glad you like. Here's more.

DJSCLAIMER

Belongs to New Line Cinema and Wes Craven. I only own the plot.

That night, shadows fell on Westin Hills and the kids were back in their rooms. Alex Diamond, the boy who had almost sleep-walked to the ledge, sat on his bed and looked at his roommate, Terry Burgess.

"Did you have any weird dreams last night?" Alex wondered.

"No way. I slept like a rock," Terry responded. Then, "So I heard you had an episode earlier."

"Yeah, I guess I did," Alex said.

"You okay?" Terry questioned.

"Yeah," Alex answered. "In my dream---when I was sleepwalking---there was this guy. He was pulling me, taking me to a ledge. He was really strong," he continued.

"What? You believe in the boogeyman?" Terry asked with a laugh. Alex's expression didn't change.

"Other kids have seen him too. He's burned, has a weird hat, a red-and-green sweater, really dirty, and he uses these knives like giant fingernails," he told his friend. Terry gave Alex a disapproving glare.

"Alex, come on. You were sleepwalking and you nearly had an accident. That's all," he said.

"I don't think so. Those two that were here earlier---they knew about him. They said his name was Fred Krueger," Alex persisted.

"Oh, man! Leave it alone! That guy is dead!" Terry exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down.

"So you **have** heard of him?" Alex asked.

"All I know is that he was some sick freak who got off on killing kids and ended up getting what he deserved. Now go to sleep," Terry snapped. With a sigh, Alex put his head on his pillow and closed his eyes. _It seemed to Terry that he had just fallen asleep when he heard a thump._

_"Alex?" he questioned. He looked over at the other bed to see his friend fast asleep. "Man, I'm hearin' things," he complained, settling back down. Then, the sound came again. With an irritated sigh Terry got out of the bed and walked to the door. Then, he quietly opened the door and walked out._

_"Hello?" he asked. THUMP! With a gasp, he turned around. What had that been? Then, he heard a screeing noise. _

_"What the heck?" he questioned. There came a chuckle._

_"Terry," a voice called. Terry's brows furrowed in confusion._

_"Who's there?" he asked._

_"Terry," the voice said again. However, this time, it was in front of the boy._

_"Okay, what the hell is going on?" he wondered_. _SCREE! He took off running. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he didn't want to stick around to find out. There was a burst of maniacally delighted laughter_. _Terry panted as he ran. _

_"Help me!" he cried. Without warning, he ran into someone._

_"GOTCHA!" the voice shouted. Terry froze. He stared at the burned face. The last thing he remembered was four razors coming at him. _


	11. Chapter Ten: Decisions And Worries

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Darkness Takes Over: Coinky-dink. Thanks.

Windyfontaine (Ch 9, 10): Yeah. We'll see, glad you think so. Thanks. Ya think? Good idea, not sure if I'll use it though. No prob. You too.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I only own the plot.

The next morning, Alex stretched and yawned.

"Come on, Ter. Time to get up," he said. There was no answer. The boy climbed out of bed and walked over to his roommate who was lying on his side.

"Hey, Terry," he said, shaking his shoulder. He rolled the other boy over so that he was on his back. Then, he gasped. He stared in horror at the four razor marks. Almost as if he couldn't stop himself, he backed up towards the door. Then, he turned around and started banging on the door.

"HELP! HELP!" he shouted. There was a surprised exclamation from the other side of the door, which was soon opened.

"What is it? What's wrong?" a nurse questioned.

"Terry's dead! Something killed him!" Alex.

"What do you mean?" the nurse questioned, moving past him. Then, she saw the body. She screamed. The sound of running footsteps was heard.

"What is it? What's going on?" Dr. Simms questioned. The nurse just pointed.

"Oh, my word," the woman breathed when she saw the body. "What happened?" she wondered.

"It---it was that guy. It had to be! He was fine when I went to sleep," Alex said.

"Alex, we've been through this," Dr. Simms reminded him.

"Then maybe you need to start **listening**," Alex snapped. "It's starting again. Are you gonna let him kill us?" he questioned. Dr. Simms stared at the boy, unsure of what to say. "Let's---just get the police down here," she finally said.

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll call them right away," the nurse responded, and then ran off to do so.

"He murdered him! That bastard murdered him!" Terry screamed. _What in the world is going on here?_ Dr. Simms wondered. Neil, Nancy, and the nurse, Marcie, walked up.

"What's going on?" Marcie asked.

"What happened? Nancy queried at the same time.

"It's Terry---he's dead. That---that---" Alex's breathing became labored.

"Oh, no," Nancy said softly. Neil looked at her.

"Dr. Simms, how many of your patients have been having bad dreams?" Nancy wondered.

"I don't want to get into that dream business again," Dr. Simms declared.

"Look what happened to Terry. We **all** know who did it," Nancy pointed out. This gave the woman pause. While she wasn't quite sure what was going on, she knew that Alex certainly hadn't done anything to Terry. There wasn't a drop of blood on him. Making a decision, she nodded.

"I'll go call a group session," she determined. Then, she went to do so. Meanwhile, at school, Joey and Kristen were in the middle of a conversation.

"So, now what happens?" Kristen wondered.

"I'm not sure. Nancy called the cops last night and explained to them what's been goin' on and why she decked my mom and got me out there, but…" Joey's voice trailed off.

"Hey, you okay?" Kristen asked. He shrugged.

"I don't know. I just keep thinking if only I had done something the first time she hit me, maybe it never would've come to this," he answered.

"Joey, you've done nothing wrong. You know that," his friend reminded him, putting a hand on his wrist.

"I know. I know," he said. He flashed her a smile. _Thank goodness for Kris_, he thought to himself. "I guess that just leaves the question of what to do about Krueger," he continued.

"Yeah," Kristen agreed. His hand went to his chest and his eyes clouded. "Don't be nervous. You're stronger now. You know what to expect," she continued, putting her hand on his.

"Yeah, I know. It's just hard to forget. I mean, what he--" he began.

"Well, don't you two look cozy?" a voice interrupted. They turned to see Michael.

"Dude, **so** not what you think," Joey quickly assured, pulling away.

"Relax. I was joking," Michael told them. Then, "What were you two looking so serious about?"

"Krueger," Kristen replied. Michael's face became guarded.

"You guys really think we can beat him?" he asked.

"We did it before," his girlfriend answered. Before they could say anymore, the bell rang.

"We can talk later," Kristen said. Then, they went to class. In their homeroom, the trio tried, but failed to rid their minds of a burned man with a dirty brown hat and razors on his right hand.


	12. Chapter Eleven: Report And Arrest

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Jayme (Ch 8): Thanks. Here's more.

Windyfontaine: Yeah. Well, maybe just a little. Glad you like. Good. I did my job. Thanks, I will.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I only own the plot. I'm not **quite** sure what CPS procedure is, but I believe I have it right. I own anything you don't recognize.

At the end of the day, Joey, Kristen, and Michael headed for the parking lot.

"Michael! Michael!" a voice called. They turned around to see Roxie.

"Hey, Rox," Michael greeted.

"Where are you guys going?" Roxie wondered.

"Westin Hills. We have someone we need to talk to," Joey answered.

"Who's at Westin Hills?" Michael and Roxie wondered.

"Nancy Thompson," Kristen replied. They all headed for their cars. "Aren't you coming?" she questioned when she saw Joey head off.

"Kris, I'm just gonna take my own car. I got a lot of stuff to think about," Joey answered.

"Okay," Kristen replied.

"Michael, if you wanna ride with Kristen, I can take our car," Roxie offered.

"That'd be great, thanks," Michael said. Then, they all went to their respective vehicles and took off. "So, uh…what's up with Crusel? He seemed a little preoccupied," Michael stated.

"He's got some personal stuff to deal with," Kristen responded. As she followed her brother and best friend, Roxie frowned in confusion. Why would they be going to a psychiatric hospital? And why had Joey and Kristen looked so disturbed? Then she shrugged. Oh, well. She would probably find out when they got there. In his car, Joey's mind was in turmoil. _Man, what have I done? Mom's gonna kill me_, he thought. He raked his hair with his fingers, keeping one hand on the wheel. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything. Maybe he shouldn't have let Nancy call the cops. His Mom was gonna be **pissed** when she found out. He let out a shaky breath. What was he going to do? Minutes later, they were all at the facility. The teens parked and walked into the entrance.

"Joey. Can I see you a minute?" Nancy requested. The teens looked at each other. What was **that** all about?

"Sure Nancy," Joey agreed. He walked up to her. "What is it?" he asked.

"CPS is here. They need to take a statement from you," Nancy replied.

"CPS?" Joey repeated in confusion.

"Child Protective Services. They wanted to talk to you last night but I told them that you weren't in the right mindset and that this is neutral ground for you," Nancy explained.

"I---I don't know, Nancy," Joey stammered.

"Joey, they're on **your** side. They're here to help," Nancy assured. "If you want, I'll be right there with you," she continued.

"Yeah. I---I **would** like you there," Joey said.

"Come on. They're in the room we use for group," Nancy said, putting an arm around his shoulders. Together, the two walked off.

"What's **that** about?" Michael wondered.

"None of our business," Kristen answered. Joey and Nancy walked into the room.

"I'm Brian Reed. You must be Joey," a man said.

"Yeah," Joey replied, shaking his hand. "Straight talk only in here," he added.

"Huh?" Brian asked.

"Sorry. Bad joke," Joey apologized, sitting down.

"Now Joey, we have to document this through video. Do you understand that?" Brian answered.

"Yeah," Joey nodded. The man set up the equipment and stated the case number.

"State your name for the camera," Brian requested.

"Joseph "Joey" Crusel," Joey said.

"Now Joey, according to Miss Thompson, the abuse has been going for quite a while?" Brian asked.

"How long?" Brian questioned.

"A year. Ever since my dad passed. He, uh---he died in his sleep," Joey answered. Nancy looked to the boy sharply. He hadn't told her that. "After that, things just---kind of fell apart. She was different and…I couldn't do anything right anymore," he continued.

"What do you mean?" Brian wondered.

"We get into fights…over the stupidest things: clothes I'm wearing, music I listen to…stuff like that," Joey told him.

"Sounds like normal teenage stuff," Brian commented.

"It **is**, but she---she just flies off the handle, and before I know it, things **always** escalate," Joey continued.

"Is that what happened to your face?" Brian asked.

"Yeah. She got me good with a cooking spoon," Joey confirmed.

"I noticed a bandage on your hand. Is that from your mother as well?" Brian queried.

"No. That was an accident in home ec," Joey corrected him.

"You take home economics?" Brian asked in surprise.

"Seemed like a good place to meet girls," Joey answered with a sheepish shrug. Brian gave a knowing chuckle. Meanwhile, Erica was at the diner where she worked when two uniformed officers came in.

"Erica Crusel?" one asked.

"Yeah, just a minute," she told them, grabbing plates and putting them in a large bin.

"It can't wait. I'm afraid you're going to have to come with us, Ma'am," the second officer stated.

"What? Why?" Erica questioned warily.

"You've been charged with child abuse," the first officer told her.

"What?! That's ridiculous!" she protested as she was handcuffed. The first officer read the woman her rights as she was led out.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Joey's Nightmare

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Windyfontaine: Glad you like. Yep. Read on and see. You too.

Darkness Takes Over: Thanks, we'll see.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. It didn't look like Nancy had a spare room in NOES 3, so I'm going with that.

After his report and after he, Kristen, Michael, Roxie, Alex, Nancy, Neil, and Dr. Simms had talked; Joey and Nancy were at her house, setting things up in the living room. Though it was highly irregular, CPS had agreed to let Joey stay with Nancy for the time being.

"Nancy, I can't tell you how much I appreciate this…especially letting me get my stereo and c.d.'s," Joey said, as he put his bottle of Hypnocil on the coffee table.

"Hey, no problem. I understand how important your music is to you. Just play it at a normal decibel," Nancy responded.

"Fair enough," Joey agreed. "I'm just sorry I'm putting you out like this," he continued. The woman turned to him.

"Joey, you're not putting me out. I **wanted** to do this. I'm not gonna risk putting you in some group home where you're unprotected from Krueger and anyone else that might try anything. I'm just sorry I don't have an actual room for you," she told him.

"Hey, it's fine. Just give me a blanket and a pillow, and I'm good to go," he assured. Then, "Speaking of which, I'm kinda zonked…do you mind---"

"Of course not," the woman answered. "Don't forget to take your Hypnocil," she reminded. The boy made a dismissive noise and the woman laughed as she went into her room. Joey hunkered on the couch. He reached for the bottle of Hypnocil, but before he could actually reach it, his eyes closed. _Joey looked around. Why was it so dark? He leaned over the couch and his brows furrowed at the new surroundings. Where was he? Steam hissed and he jumped._

_"Oh, man. Not __**this**__ place again," he groaned, as he realized where he was_. _Something moved underneath the couch cushions and he quickly jumped off. There was a ripping sound and he ran. Then, he skidded to a stop. Right in front of him were a bunch of kids playing. As they did so, they sang a song he was all too familiar with._

_One, two, Freddy's coming for you._

_Three, four, better lock your door._

_Five, six, grab your crucifix. _

_Seven, eight, gonna stay up late._

_Nine, ten, never sleep again. _

_Again, Joey took off. A screeing sound filled the air and he blanched. How could he have been so stupid as to fall asleep without Hypnocil? He gasped as a sinister, raspy chuckle was heard._

_"Be calm, Joey. Don't give him any power," he reminded himself. _

_"Joey," Krueger said. Joey backed away and let out a surprised cry as he almost fell down a flight of stairs that hadn't been there before. _

_"That the best you can do, Krueger? Parlor tricks?" he spat out, trying not to let his fear show. He heard the sound of Krueger's knives and he let out small gasp. Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to goad him. The sound came closer and Joey backed down the stairs. Footsteps came closer and closer. Suddenly, the boy was grabbed from behind!_

_"Gotcha!" Krueger crowed._

_"__**HE-E-E-E-ELP**__!" Joey screamed. _Joey jerked awake as there was a loud crackling and popping sound. He cried out in surprise and fright as his stereo smoked, fizzled, and came apart. He let out a low, anguished moan as Nancy came into the room in a panic.

"Joey, you okay? What happened?" Nancy asked, kneeling beside him. _He doesn't have any scratches or marks on him_, she thought, perusing his body. The boy made a groaning, whining noise as he looked at his now ruined sound system. "Joey?" she queried.

"My stereo," he said plaintively.


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Finally Convinced

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Windyfontaine: This is true. Thank you, oops. Thanks. You too.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I only own the plot.

_In the wee hours of the morning, Alex was awakened by a squeaking noise._

_"What the heck?" he asked, sitting up. The squeaking came again and he watched as the door creaked open. With a gasp, he backed up against the headboard and watched as a silhouette approached the room. Just then, the sound of kids playing came from the right side of him. Confused, he turned around to see that a group of children had suddenly appeared in the room._

_One, two, Freddy's coming for you._

_Three, four, better lock your door._

_Five, six, grab your crucifix. _

_Seven, eight, gonna stay up late._

_Nine, ten, never sleep again. _

_Alex jumped off the bed and backed up against the wall. To his surprise, he went right through it!_

_"What the heck?" he questioned. He looked around at the new room. Where was he? SCREE! The sharp sound startled the boy and he turned around. A shadow appeared on the wall. He gulped and backed away._ In Alex's room, Dr. Simms was trying to calm the boy.

"Why don't you just give him a sedative?" an orderly asked.

"Because it's merely a nightmare," Dr. Simms responded. _There was a raspy chuckle and Alex froze. It was that guy! That Fred Krueger guy!_

_"Help me! Somebody!" he shouted. Krueger laughed sinisterly and advanced on him. Alex put his hands out in front of him and_ _Krueger just gave him a mean smirk_. _As the man came closer, light came shooting out of his hands! Krueger roared in pained surprise._ Dr. Simms cried out in surprise as the room lit up in a blinding flash.

"Okay, **now** can we give this kid a sedative?" the orderly moaned.

"Shut up, Lorenzo!" Dr. Simms snapped. _Alex stared at his hands in shock. _ _What was happening to him? Then, he noticed the man coming at him again! He tried to back up. He wasn't sure what was going on._ _ He just wanted this dream to end. _

_"Help! Somebody!" Alex called again. Krueger started to strike, but was knocked back. Alex gasped in surprise as he saw the blonde girl from the hospital standing in front of him._

_"Are you okay?" she asked in concern._

_"Yeah. How did you do that?" Alex wondered. _ Dr. Simms frowned as Alex seemed to get more agitated. What was going on here? _Krueger made a move towards Kristen, who blocked the attack. _ _Krueger growled and lashed out, striking Kristen in the shoulder._

_"Joey! Nancy! Help me!" she cried, as she was pulled towards the man. Immediately, the two were in the room._

_"NO!" Nancy cried. _ _She lunged at him, knocking him to the ground and forcing him to release Kristen._

_"You okay?" Joey asked, helping her up. Krueger struggled to get away, but Nancy had a firm grip around his waist._

_"Yeah. But I thought he had a dream power," Kristen replied._

_"He probably doesn't know how to use it," Joey commented. Then, Nancy yelped in fright as Krueger's glove came down on her!_

_"NO!" Joey shouted. He ran towards them and pulled Krueger's arm back_, _causing the man to cry out in pain. Then, he elbowed Joey away, releasing Nancy and turning to the boy._

"_Joey…I've gotta say…I'm surprised," he oozed, standing over him. Joey scooted away as the man advanced._

"_Leave him alone you son of a bitch!" Kristen shouted. She flipped through the air, hitting Krueger and knocking him back. Alex stared in surprise and fear. What was going on?_

_"This can't be happening. This can't be happening," he muttered to himself. __**Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up**__, he thought frantically_. Dr. Simms watched as Alex froze on his bed, obviously frightened by something. _What is going on here?_ she wondered. _Alex watched as Dr. Thompson and the two kids stood in front of the man._

_"Why won't you die, bitch?" Krueger asked, glaring at the older woman. _

_"Because I'm __**your**__ nightmare, Krueger," Dr. Thompson answered_._ She, Kristen, and Joey took stances of defense. Krueger laughed and flashed his blades at them. _ _Alex gasped in fright. Were these three nuts? This guy was gonna kill them!_

_"Okay, Krueger. Bring it on," the younger_ _girl dared. The man laughed sinisterly._

_"So daring," he sneered. Kristen straightened her stance as the man advanced. _ _Her eyes darkened as he continued towards her._

_"Look out!" Alex shouted. Before Kristen could react, the boy pushed her away. He groaned as the knives grazed against his chest._ Dr. Simms gasped as a thin layer of blood trickled from the boy's chest.

"Oh, my word. They were telling the truth," she stated.


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Investigation

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I only own the plot.

Minutes later, Dr. Simms blew out a breath and raked her hair with a hand. They had managed to stop the bleeding, but Alex was still asleep. He still seemed frightened though, and the woman could only imagine what from. If someone in his dream really **was **trying to kill him, she prayed that the boy would be all right. From his corner of the room, Lorenzo watched dourly. He couldn't believe Dr. Simms had yelled at him. The woman was usually pretty cool, which was why he could get away with messing with some of the patients without anyone knowing. Who would believe a bunch of screwed up kids over him? _In the dream world, Kristen leaned over Alex. _

_"Are you okay?" she questioned. _

_"Yeah, I'm all right," he assured._

_"Good. I'm going to get you out of here," she told him._

_"But, wait. You need---" Alex began to protest as Kristen stared at him with a look of concentration. Suddenly, he found himself becoming translucent._

_"No, no, no, no, no, no, don't! __He'll kill you!" Alex objected. _The monitors beeped and Alex made a moaning noise as his eyes fluttered open. Dr. Simms gave a relieved gasp. How was this possible?

"Alex?" she asked. _Oh, thank goodness_, she thought to herself. The boy gasped and looked around. Then he frantically grabbed Dr. Simms wrist.

"He's going to kill them!" he cried. Meanwhile, at their house, Michael was on the computer doing a search.

"You better not let Mom and Dad catch you up so late on a school night," a voice commented. Startled, the boy turned in his seat.

"Look who's talking," he said to his sister, who was standing in the doorway.

"I just got up for a drink of water," she defended herself. "So…what's got you so intrigued that you're up at two in the morning?" she wondered, coming up to stand next to him.

"Jack told me this story 'bout a guy named Fred Krueger and it got me wondering," Michael answered, as he continued his search.

"Who?" Roxie asked.

"According to Jack, he was a child murderer who killed a bunch of kids and was later freed on a technicality. The victims' parents followed him to his lair---Jack didn't say what or where it was---and burned him alive," Michael told her.

"Oh, that's lovely," Roxie commented.

"Well, anyways, Jack said that last year that Kristen spent some time in Westin Hills---some sort of psychiatric hospital---because she said this guy was trying to kill her in her sleep," Michael continued.

"And you believed him?" Roxie asked in surprise.

"I had this strange dream, where I got freaked, and called for Kristen. Shortly after, she and the friend Joey appeared. Plus, there was this guy---he looked **exactly** like the description of that Fred Krueger guy," Michael finished.

"You probably just dreamed him up and scared yourself," Roxie said skeptically.

"I don't know," Michael stated. The two fell silent as a headline caught their eye.

"Whoa," they chorused.

**MYSTERIOUS DEATHS HAUNT SPRINGWOOD!** screamed the headline. **Two teens were found in their home, dead of seemingly natural causes. Unsettling, not just for the fact that the kids were the all-American type, but are also the fifth and sixth deaths this month**, the article continued.

"This is dated last year," Michael noted. The brother and sister continued to read. Presently, they found their eyes drooping. Michael yawned and closed his eyes._ He looked around._

_"Where __**are**__ we?" a voice asked. Startled, he turned around to see Roxie._

_"How did __**you**__ get here?" he wondered._

_"I don't know. I just closed my eyes for a minute," she answered. "So, where are we?" she continued. _

_"I'm…not sure," her brother admitted. Just then, they heard a scream! _


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Nightmares And Death

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Darkness Takes Over: Thanks. Glad you liked. Read on and see.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize. Memories will be in bold. I'm meshing two previous Nightmare deaths.

_"What was __**that**__?" Roxie wondered._

_"I don't know," Michael answered. They rushed towards the sound. To their surprise, they saw Joey, Kristen, and an older woman huddled together, standing in front of the man who had been in Michael's previous dream._

_"Michael? Wha---what's going on?" Roxie asked in fright._

_"I---I don't know," Michael replied. Kristen carefully moved forward and it was then that the siblings realized that the girl was pressing a hand to her right side to stop the blood. Krueger chuckled._

_"You brats bleed so easily. Just like your friend," he sneered. Kristen and Joey's faces became pained. They knew instantly that he was referring to Kincaide. _

_"My knives went through him so swiftly. Just like butter," he taunted._

_"You bastard!" Joey shouted._

_"Joey, no!" Kristen screamed as the boy lunged towards the man. His attack was blocked and he was sent to the floor in a heap. _ _Michael and Roxie looked at each, each unsure of what was going on. Krueger cackled maniacally and stood over Joey straddle-style._

_"JOEY!" Kristen shrieked. Almost before she knew what she was doing, Roxie ran towards them. Michael watched in shock as his sister twisted and turned in the air as she executed intricate karate moves. Krueger grunted as he was knocked back and Kristen took advantage of the distraction to pull Joey to safety. __**What the---?**__ Michael thought. He didn't get it. What was going on? How had Roxie done that? Krueger roared and the room began to shake and change. Everyone cried out in surprise as they toppled to the ground as Krueger grew. Krueger laughed and loomed over them. The floor rose, bringing the group closer to their adversary._

_"NO!" Michael cried out in fright._

_"Kristen, get us out of here now!" Joey shouted. With a look of concentration, Kristen did as she was told. _With simultaneous gasps, Roxie and Michael's eyes flew open. To their surprise, they were back in Michael's room.

"What the heck was **that**?" Roxie wondered. In her room, Kristen tried to calm her beating heart.

"Way too close, Kristen," she berated herself, as her side throbbed from Krueger's strike. She jumped slightly as the door opened to reveal Elaine Parker, who had returned from her trip to Reno.

"Are you okay, Kristen?" the woman asked in concern.

"I'm fine, Mom. I just forgot to take my Hypnocil and had a weird dream. Go back to bed," Kristen replied.

"You sure?" Mrs. Parker questioned.

"I'm fine, honest," Kristen assured. Satisfied, the woman went back to bed. In the living room, Joey fell off the couch with a startled cry. As he hit the floor, he heard a yelping gasp from Nancy's room.

"Oh, man. This is just terrific," he grumbled. He quickly perused his body for any new injuries. However, there were just the fading old ones. A door opened and Nancy came into the living room.

"Joey?" she asked urgently.

"I'm okay," he assured, standing up.

"You're positive? Don't hide any injuries," the woman insisted.

"I'm fine. Not a scratch on me," Joey promised. Meanwhile, in her jail cell, Mrs. Crusel was trying to find a comfortable position on the bench. As she tossed and turned, her mind went over the conversation she had had with her lawyer.

**"I'll try as hard as I can, but with the testimony your son gave and the evidence of a recurring pattern of abuse…I don't see how there's anything I do," the man said.**

**"You're not listening to me! Joey is a little liar! I never hurt him!" Erica responded.**

**"Mrs. Crusel, I'm sorry. Like I said, with the history the defense uncovered---it'd be in your best interest to just cop a plea,"** the man told her. _Oh, that little brat! I swear I'll_---the woman let out a deep sigh. She just had to calm down. She'd just go to sleep and everything would be clearer in the morning. She closed her eyes and let gentle breaths lull her asleep. Unbeknownst to her, she wasn't alone. Her bed sheet became bunched as if being held by someone and there was a deep, throaty chuckle as the sheet began to slowly make a noose around the woman's throat. Her eyes bugged open as she felt pressure against her airway. With a gasp, she made a desperate grasp against the cloth. She started to struggle as she was pulled off the bench.

"HELP!" she screeched. She tried to get away, but was pulled to the other side of the room. "HELP!" In the main lobby, the desk clerk jumped up.

"What the heck?" he wondered. Hearing another cry, he and another officer rushed towards the lockup. When they got there, Mrs. Crusel was already up the wall and on the ceiling.

"What the hell?" one of the officers asked. The woman screamed as she scrambled across the ceiling. Suddenly, blood dripped from her chest and hit the floor as she made gurgling noises.

"Damn," the second officer breathed. Without warning, they heard a resounding crack and the woman became still. The officers watched as she was unceremoniously dumped on the floor.

"Damn," two officers breathed. The night man sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well, guess the kid won't be goin' through a trial after all," he commented.


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Surprising News

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Mike9305 (Ch 4): Thanks.

Windyfontaine (Chs 14-16): That's okay. I understand. Don't stress about it, yep. That's right. Enjoy. Glad you like. Nope, true. Yeah, sorry about that. That's okay, I completely understand so don't stress. Thanks, you too.

Sassychick: Thanks. You'll see. Thanks.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I only own the new plot and characters you don't recognize.

The next morning, Nancy was woken up by the sound of the telephone. She moaned and reached over her nightstand.

"This better be good," she grumbled as she picked up the receiver.

"Miss Thompson, this is Officer Brody on the Crusel case," a man said.

"What? Did something happen?" Nancy questioned, now wide awake. _What did that bitch do now?_ she wondered.

"You could say that," Officer Brody allowed.

"What? Did she make bail? Did she escape? What?" Nancy asked bitingly.

"Miss Thompson, please. Let me tell you what happened," the officer interjected.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean---" she began.

"It's quite all right," he told her. He then went on to relay what had happened the night before without going into details pertinent to the investigation.

"Thank you. I'll let him know," she promised. She hung up before he could say anymore and then went into the living room.

"Joey. Joey, wake up," she said, shaking him. The boy made some muttering noises as he stretched on the couch.

"What?" he asked with a groan. _It's Saturday. Why is she waking me up so early?_ he wondered sleepily.

"Joey, I have to talk to you," Nancy stated.

"Is it Kristen?" Joey anxiously queried, sitting up.

"As far as I know, Kristen's fine. It's…about your mother," Nancy said.

"She's not out is she?" Joey questioned fearfully.

"No, but, um, well---" Nancy trailed off, unsure of how to voice it. How was she supposed to tell Joey that his mother was dead? How would he react?

"Nancy, what?" Joey prodded. _What's going on? Why is she so nervous?_ he wondered.

"You won't have to go to trial after all," Nancy stated.

"I don't understand," Joey said.

"Joey, your mother---**died**---last night," Nancy told him.

"What?" he asked. _She---she's __**dead**_ he thought, feeling like someone had punched him in the stomach. Sure, she was an abusive bitch, but---this was his mom.

"Joey, are---you okay?" Nancy asked in concern.

"I'm---I'm uh---" Joey began, but was cut off by a retching sound. Nancy quickly grabbed him and rushed him to the bathroom, where he quickly upchucked into the sink. She rubbed his back as his body railed against him. "How?" he managed to get out.

"I don't know. The officer didn't tell me," she answered.

"Nancy, what's going on? Was it Krueger?" Joey wondered.

"I don't know," Nancy admitted. "I can only imagine how stressful the past few days have been, and now **this**," she continued. Joey looked to the woman. The boy sighed and rubbed his face with a hand. What was he supposed to do now? Granted, his mother's death made things easier, but they still had to deal with Krueger.

"Not that I'm complaining, but…why her?" he wondered.

"I don't know," the woman said again.

"Man, I swear, as soon as I graduate, I'm gettin' out of this freaky town," the boy declared.

"I don't blame you," the woman stated. Joey rinsed his mouth and wiped away the excess water with the back of his hand. Then, he headed for the front door.

"Joey?" Nancy asked in confusion.

"I gotta talk to Kristen," Joey answered shortly. He walked out the door.

"Good thing he slept in his clothes last night," Nancy said to herself. She smiled ruefully. In so many ways, his stubborn attitude reminded her of Rod. Rod. With a sad sigh, she turned to the mantle, where she kept various pictures of Rod, Glen, and Tina. She picked up a picture that showed the four of them together.

"I'm still trying, you guys. Trying to keep him at bay. It's so hard. He's taken so much from me. You, my parents…and now he's slowly but surely destroying these kids. What am I supposed to do?" her throat muscles constricted and her eyes darkened. She wasn't going to let Krueger take anyone else. As he drove to Kristen's house, Joey's eyes clouded. _What am I going to do?_ he wondered. True he had been nervous about going to court and telling everyone about the abuse, but he had been willing to do it. Everything had been changed now. Minutes later, the boy was at the sprawling mansion. He parked his car, got out, walked up to the door, and knocked. The door was opened to reveal the girl's mother.

"Hey, Mrs. Parker. Is Kristen up?" he asked.

"I'll get her," she said. "KRISTEN!" she shouted up the stairs, causing the boy to jump slightly.

"I could've done that," he muttered as he was waved inside. Kristen came down to see what was going on.

"Joey," she said in surprise. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"She's dead," he said shakily.

"Who? Nancy?" Kristen questioned fearfully.

"No. My mom," Joey replied, started to pace in agitation.

"Well, good riddance," Kristen stated. Joey threw her a look. "Sorry," she apologized.

"Kristen, I---I don't---" Joey began to say. Then, without warning, he pitched forward.

"Joey," Kristen said in surprised concerned. She knelt down beside him and tried to rouse him with no avail.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Joey's reaction is from stress.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: Realization

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Darkness Takes Over: Thanks. I will.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to New Line Cinema and Wes Craven. I only own the characters and things you don't recognize.

_Joey's eyes fluttered open. With a groan, he carefully got up. What had happened? Water dripped and the boy tensed. The boiler room! How had he ended up here? SCREE! The boy jumped._

_"Be cool, man," he coached himself._ _He just had to be careful that he didn't give Krueger any energy. SCREE! _ _The boy jumped again. The sound was closer this time._

_"Joey," he heard Krueger call in a sickly sweet voice. Joey blanched, remembering the last time he had heard that tone. __**"Joey…look. All the little piggies come home," Krueger had said.**_

_"Screw you, Krueger," he muttered to himself. The sound of the man's blades came again, sounding even closer. He turned around to see a silhouette approaching him._ _Krueger chuckled menacingly and raised his gloved hand._ _Cautiously, Joey backed away. Krueger chuckled again._

_"Joey," he called. Joey's mouth went dry. _ _**Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream, just a dream**_, _he chanted silently_. _ There was a scraping sound and the boy had to fight the urge to back away yet again_. _Footsteps sounded, and Joey whirled around at their closeness._

_"Joey," Krueger called. Lights started flashing in a strobe-light fashion._

_"The hell?" Joey asked, covering his eyes. He was grabbed from behind._

_"GOTCHA!" a voice shouted in triumph._

_"NOOOOOO!" Joey cried. _Kristen gasped in surprise as Joey woke up and the chandelier shattered.

"Joey!" she exclaimed. "Are you okay?" she questioned, as he carefully sat up.

"Yeah, I'm all right," he assured.

"Your shirt," she noted. The boy looked down to see four slashes in his shirt and let out an annoyed groan.

"I'm gonna kill that freak. I **liked** this shirt," he complained.

"What happened to the chandelier? How did you do that?" Mrs. Parker demanded.

"Sorry, Mrs. Parker," Joey apologized sheepishly.

"It's okay. We better go to Westin Hills and talk to Nancy though," Kristen stated before her mother could reply, helping him up.

"Yeah, good idea," Joey agreed. They started out the door.

"What about the chandelier?" Mrs. Parker asked. "KRISTEN!" she shouted before the door closed.

"You want me to drive?" Kristen offered, walking to his car.

"I'm okay," Joey answered, as they got in. He started the engine and then drove off. Back at Westin Hills, Max and Lorenzo were trying to restrain a girl who was throwing a fit. It was the same girl who had banged the cart against the doors when Alex had been in Krueger's clutches.

"Susan, please just calm down," Max implored.

"NO! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! HE'S KILLING US! HE'S KILLING US!" she screamed. She tried to run past them, but Max quickly caught her by the waist.

"Sedate her and put in her in the Quiet Room," Dr. Carver instructed just as Nancy and Neil came in.

"You can't sedate her! You'll be handing her right over to him," Nancy objected.

"Dr. Thompson, I don't want to get into this dream business. For all I know, **you**'**re** the one killing these kids," Dr. Carver responded. Susan broke away from Max and threw a small, round pan at the man.

"YOU BASTARD! SHE'S THE ONE WHO'S TRYING TO SAVE US!" she screamed. Dr. Simms quickly came in, hearing the commotion.

"What's going on here?" she demanded.

"It's all right, Dr. Simms. We just need to get Susan sedated and into the quiet room," Dr. Carver answered. Before anyone could say anything more, they all heard a door open. "What's going on **now**?" Dr. Carver wondered.

"Nancy! He's getting stronger!" a voice called.

"Joey?" Nancy asked in surprise, going out into the hall, with the others at her heels.

"Nancy, he's getting stronger. You don't have to be asleep anymore! Just fainting will do it," Joey said frantically.

"What? You fainted?" Nancy queried, putting a hand on his arm.

"Are you all right?" Dr. Simms added.

"Stress. I'm fine," Joey answered.

"What the heck happened to your shirt?" Dr. Carver questioned.

"Krueger. He grabbed me from behind," Joey answered. "Nancy, we've **gotta** stop him---before he kills us all," Joey said. Just then, there was a scream.


	19. Chapter Eighteen: Justifiable Kill

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Windyfontaine (Chs 17-18): Yes, they can. I take it you enjoyed this. True. Enjoy. Glad you like, yes he does. Enjoy. You too.

Rileyofthedead: Cool. No prob. I will.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I own only what you don't recognize.

"What the hell's goin' on **now**?" Joey wondered.

"Joey, language," Nancy chided.

"Sorry," Joey apologized sheepishly. There came another scream and everyone ran in the direction of the sound.

"Oh, wow! It's Lorenzo!" Joey cried out in surprise.

"It's Freddy! I can feel him," Kristen stated. The man writhed in pain, spinning in the air as if someone had a hold on him.

"He was taking a break! He just closed his eyes for a minute!" Marcie exclaimed. Despite themselves, Joey and Kristen found themselves fascinated by the scene before them and were hardly aware when Alex, Susan, and some other kids joined them. Lorenzo screamed.

"Help me! Somebody!" he shouted. Kristen started to close her eyes, intending to go in.

"No, don't! He's not worth it!" Joey told her, grabbing her arm. Nancy turned to him in surprise, but Joey refused to meet her gaze. He remembered how the orderly constantly harassed Taryn. She'd complain to him, but wouldn't let him notify anyone, though she had admitted to being tempted once. Lorenzo screamed again and blood came seeping out of his chest. Marcie screamed. The man panted nervously and Susan let out a small whimper. Alex quickly pulled her close.

"It's okay. I gotcha," he assured.

"Help me!" he cried again. A sound of maniacal laughter startled the group and the man was thrown against a wall. Susan whimpered and sank to her knees, taking Alex with her. The boy began whispering soothingly into her ear. _Go ahead, you bastard. Take him_, Joey thought dourly. His eyes darkened. Lorenzo let out one final scream as blood poured out of his body, and then fell limp. Marcie promptly fainted, and Joey just stared. Some of the other doctors ran to him, and quickly checked for a pulse.

"Call the police!" one yelled when he didn't feel anything. Another doctor went to do so.

"Joey, can I talk to you?" Nancy requested. "**Now**," she emphasized, seeing that the boy was about to object. With a sigh, he did as he was told and followed her to an empty room. "What was that all about?" she questioned.

"He used to hassle Taryn and she was too freaked to go to Max or Dr. Gordon," he told her.

"So now you think he got what he deserved," Nancy stated.

"Yes," Joey commented.

"Oh, Joey," Nancy sighed. She wasn't sure what to think. At least she understood his reasoning now. Joey fell silent and stared at the floor. He wasn't sure what Nancy thought of him now. Maybe she thought he was cold and uncaring, but he didn't care. Lorenzo was a bastard, and he had gotten what he deserved. Meanwhile, another of the doctors had gotten some smelling salts and had put them under Marcie's nose. She moaned and her eyes fluttered open.

"What happened?" she wondered.

"You fainted," the man answered.

"Wha---" she started to ask. Then, she remembered what had transpired. "Lorenzo!" she gasped.

"Um…well…Lorenzo had an accident," the doctor fudged.

"What?" she questioned.

"Trust me, Marcie. You don't really want to know," the doctor told her, gently helping her up. Shakily, the nurse looked around. What had happened? Alex and Susan were kneeling on the floor, staring at the dead orderly.

"It was that man---the man with the finger knives," she murmured. Dr. Carver ran nervous fingers through his hair. He tried to say something, but no sound came out.


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Taken

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I only own the new plot.

Meanwhile, Michael was at home, studying in front of the t.v. He rubbed his eyes as the words blurred before him. He had been studying for hours. The t.v. blared out an m.t.v. song. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and then opened them again. _The t.v. made static-y noises._

_"What?" he asked. He watched as the t.v.'s static flashed in red-and-green lights. _ _Then, a young girl with blonde, curly hair appeared in the screen._

_"Wake up!" she told him. Looking in the background, he saw kids playing jump rope. The girl faded into the background as the kids began to sing._

_One, two, Freddy's coming for you._

_Three, four, better lock your door._

_Five, six, grab your crucifix. _

_Seven, eight, gonna stay up late._

_Nine, ten, never sleep again. _

_"What?" Michael asked again, getting off of the bed. He began walking over to the t.v. as the girl pushed her way through the kids. She pounded on the screen._

_"Wake up, you idiot! Wake up!" she screamed. He continued towards the screen. "Don't let him get you like this too! __**WAKE UP**__!" she screamed, slamming the screen in emphasis. He was almost to the t.v. when he noticed it---red-and-green stripes on the edges. He froze and backed away._

_"Yes, yes! Wake up!" the girl encouraged. An arm snaked around her waist and yanked her back._

_"Bad little piggy!" a voice snarled._

_"Wake up!" she cried before she disappeared. Thoroughly freaked, Michael ran off. There was a rapping sound on his wall and he gasped._

_"Kristen!" he called. SCREE! "Kristen!" he called again. _ In the hospital, Kristen moaned.

"What is it?" Joey questioned.

"I'm being pulled into a dream," Kristen answered. Then, before Joey or Nancy could do anything, she moaned and fell to the floor and disappeared.

"KRISTEN!" Joey exclaimed worriedly. _Kristen looked around. What was she doing in Michael's house? She heard her boyfriend cry out in fright and ran towards the sound. What was going on? SCREE! She froze at the noise. Krueger was here. Hearing another scraping sound, she hurried on her way. She couldn't let this freak get her boyfriend. Michael ran through his house, trying to put distance between him and the ominous footsteps. Someone began laughing maniacally. Michael panted nervously. He wasn't sure what was going on anymore. Who had that girl been? And why had she been in the t.v.? He heard the strange laughter again and quickened his pace. Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind!_

_"NO!" he screamed._

_"Michael!" he heard Kristen scream. Struggling, he managed to turn around. His girlfriend was attempting to run towards him, her feet stuck in what appeared to be melted pieces of the floor._

_"Michael!" Kristen shouted._

_"He's mine now, little piggy," Krueger taunted._

_"NOOOOO!" Kristen screamed, finally freeing herself. She lunged towards them---only to find herself falling through the air! She screamed and then concentrated. _Kristen gasped as she found herself back on the floor in Westin Hills.

"Kristen!" Joey exclaimed, kneeling beside her.

"Michael!" she cried. "He's got---he's got Michael," she told him. "**He**'**s** got Michael," she said tearfully. She whimpered and Joey quickly enveloped her into a hug.

"Ssssshhhh, sssssshhhhh. We'll get him back, Kris. I promise you, we'll get him back," he assured, smoothing her hair back and rocking her as she cried.


	21. Chapter Twenty: Going In

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. I only own characters you don't recognize. Oh, and I didn't remember that the NOES franchise had already used the whole kid-in-the-t.v.-set bit until I had already posted the last chap, so the inspiration for that belongs to Freddy's Dead. I add a line that's similar to something stated in Dream Warriors as well as a line from an earlier draft of Dream Masters. Got the idea of Nancy taking on characteristics of her friends from Alice in NOES 4.

Joey looked to Nancy as Kristen cried.

"What are we going to do?" he questioned.

"We have to take the fight to him," the woman replied.

"Yeah. We'll show him what it's like to mess with us," Susan agreed.

"For real," Alex added.

"You guys are willing to go in?" Joey questioned.

"I'm not too sure what's going on, or how we can stop it, but we gotta at least try," Susan stated.

"And you've been trying to save us. How can I just sit here?" Alex chimed in.

"Roxie! We gotta tell Roxie!" Kristen shouted suddenly.

"I'll take you. You can give me directions," Joey said.

"Thanks," Kristen stated. They stood up and headed towards the parking lot. They got into his car, where Joey started the engine, and then drove off, following his friend's instructions. When they got there, Kristen barely waited for the car to slow down before getting out and running for the door.

"And she says **I**'**m** nuts?" he muttered to himself. He turned off the car engine and followed her. The door opened to reveal Roxie.

"Kristen, Joey…what's going on?" she asked.

"We gotta go---**now**!" Kristen emphasized. She grabbed Roxie's wrist and dragged her towards the car before her friend could protest.

"Kristen---you're supposed to explain---" Joey began. "Ah! Women!" he sighed in exasperation, getting into the driver's seat. He then headed back to Westin Hills as Kristen quickly filled Roxie in.

"So, wait. You're saying Freddy's got Michael?" Roxie asked.

"Yeah," Kristen answered.

"Well, what are we going to do?" Roxie wondered.

"When we get to Westin Hills, we're gonna go to sleep and kick Krueger's ass all over dreamland," Joey answered sharply.

"Wait---what?" Roxie questioned.

"Just trust us," Kristen said. Within minutes, they were back at Westin Hills. Susan, Alex, and Nancy turned after hearing the sound of the door opening.

"Okay, I think we're ready," Joey stated.

"Ready for what?" Dr. Carver demanded.

"To go into the dreams," Kristen answered.

"Look, I don't know wh---" Dr. Carver began to say.

"We don't have time for you. Let's use the room we go to for group," Joey interrupted. With that, Nancy, Dr. Gordon, Kristen, Roxie, Susan, Alex, and Joey started off. Dr. Simms grabbed Nancy's arm.

"I'm still not quite sure what's going on, but something tells me you can stop it," she commented.

"That's right," the other woman confirmed.

"Good luck. Be safe…all of you," she told them. The kids nodded in acknowledgement and then went off. _Maybe she's not so bad after all_, Joey thought to himself. Nancy opened a door, ushered the kids in, and then locked it.

"All right, straight talk only in here," she instructed.

"What exactly are we doing?" Susan asked.

"We're entering the dream world," Joey answered. "Every one of us has a special power that we've had in our best dreams---an amazing gift that's ours alone---like my sonic scream," he continued.

"How do we get there?" Alex questioned.

"That's where I come in," Kristen told them. "I'll take you there," she told them.

"Just one thing---don't wander off alone, it's not safe. I speak from experience," Joey cautioned. Nancy swung the pendulum.

"Watch the pendulum. I'm going to count backwards from five. When I'm done. We'll all be asleep," she told them. The kids turned and watched the gold object. Slowly, everyone's eyes closed.

"Five…four…three…two…one." _When everyone opened their eyes, they were still in the room._

_"Are we here?" Joey questioned. _

_"One way to find out," Kristen answered, standing up. She moved the chair out of the way. Then, just like last time, she somersaulted across the room._

_"We're here," she announced._

_"Try something. What can you guys do in your dreams?" Nancy encouraged. Alex concentrated and slowly, light came from his hands._

_"You can put on a light show," grinned Susan._

_"Who else?" Dr. Gordon asked. Without warning, Susan flipped through the air, performing intricate martial arts moves. The kids all whooped appreciatively._

_"Hey, check out Joey," Roxie said suddenly. They all turned to see the boy with three claws coming out of his knuckles._

_"When I was a kid, I wanted to be Wolverine so bad," he told them. With one of his claws, he cut his arm._

_"Joey!" Nancy gasped. Seconds later, the cut healed._

_"Cool," Roxie approved. Then, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Joey jumped when he felt someone tapping his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Roxie._

_"Teleportation?" he asked._

_"Not quite," came the answer. For a moment, he was confused. However, when he turned around, he understood._

_"Ah, you can multiply," he said with a grin._

_"Pretty cool, huh?" Roxie questioned. Then, "What about you guys?"_

_"Hey, I just can't believe I'm here," Dr. Gordon responded._

_"Oh, I don't have a dream power---other than actually standing up to Krueger," Nancy said almost simultaneously. _

_"Come on, Nancy. With what you know about Krueger and the dream world, you've __**got**__ to have some sort of power," Joey encouraged. The other kids agreed, encouraging her to try._

_"Well, Glen had the knowledge about dream skills," Nancy said thoughtfully. The kids watched as her sweater became a jersey with the number '10' on it._

_"Whoa. Check it out," the kids breathed._

_"And Tina was very determined," Nancy continued. To their amazement, her hair became short and blond, though the gray streak remained._

_"They're inside of her. Her friends are inside of her," Kristen realized._

_"And of course---" Nancy continued with a sly grin, "Rod was a bad-ass," she finished as a leather jacket appeared on her body and a deadly old-fashioned switchblade appeared in her hands._

_"All right. Let's go save a friend," Joey determined. _ _With that, they all headed out and almost immediately found themselves in an old house. Soon, they heard a screeing sound. Susan screamed._

_"Calm down. It's just Krueger trying to scare us," Joey told them. Roxie and Susan moved closer to the others as they continued down the hall_. _The sound of Krueger's knives came again, and the others jumped._

_"That is very unnerving," Dr. Gordon stated._

_"It's one of his older tricks," Nancy said, gripping the switchblade tightly. The kids glanced at each other and tightened their group. Pipes steamed and hissed. After a while, they were all getting jumpy. There was a scraping sound and the kids gasped._

_"This is getting freaky," Roxie admitted. The scrape came again._

_"I'm calm, cool, and collected. I'm calm, cool, and collected," Joey muttered to himself._

_"Look at that mirror!" Alex exclaimed suddenly._

_"Oh, no. He's not in the mirror again, is he?" Joey muttered. Nevertheless, he followed Alex's gaze to see mirror rippling. When the glass smoothed out, there was an image of his mother! Joey tensed and straightened his shoulders._

_"Damn it, Joey! Why do you always keep pissing me off?" the woman demanded. Joey grabbed a lamp that was on a table and threw it at the mirror. _

_"Let's go," he said and they continued on. There was a ripping sound and the plaster in the walls shredded into four razor marks. _

_"__**Now**__ what's going on?" Neil wondered._

_"He's trying to split us up!" Joey warned, grabbing Kristen and Roxie's hands._

_"Hold on to each other!" Nancy cried, grabbing hold of Alex and Susan. Suddenly, smoke filled the room!_

_"What the hell?" Alex questioned. _

_"Don't let go! Just close your eyes!" Nancy shouted. The kids did as they were told._

_"JOEY!" they heard a voice snap. Joey tensed. Feeling the movement, Kristen squeezed his hand reassuringly. __**It's not her, it's not her, it's not her, it's not her**__, Joey reminded himself frantically. It was just Krueger. The bastard was just trying to rattle him. _

_"Joey! I am getting sick and tired of your crap!" the voice of Mrs. Crusel shouted. Joey tensed again. "Damn it, Joey! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" the woman shouted. Before anyone knew what was happening, he had been torn away from the group._

_"JOEY!" Kristen screamed. Everyone reached for him, but they were also pulled from each other. _

_"NOOOOO!" everyone cried, as they were all thrown in different directions. When they landed, they looked at their new surroundings and realized something horrible: they were all on their own. _


	22. Chapter TwentyOne: The Final Fight

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

MysticGohan88: Ah, Dragonball Z fan, huh? Makes me miss my brother. About that, you don't gotta worry, though I can't guarantee the other. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to New Line Cinema and Wes Craven. I only own characters you don't recognize. One scene inspired by Kristen's death in NOES 4 as well as a ref to NOES 1. Decided to kill Krueger the way they did in New Nightmare, so that belongs to New Line and Wes Craven as well.

_Alex looked around. Where was he? He saw two cots and realized it was his room in Westin Hills._

_"Hey, you okay, man?" a voice asked. Surprised, Alex turned around._

_"Terry?" he questioned. _

_"That musta been some freaky_ _dream, man. You were screaming like crazy," Terry commented. Could it be? Had the whole thing been just some crazy dream? Was Terry really alive? _

_"No. No, no, no. You're dead. Krueger killed you," Alex said, shaking his head. That freak had killed his best friend. He was just playing with him. He had to remember that._

_"Fred Krueger's been dead for years," Terry told him._

_"He killed you when you were asleep," Alex insisted._

_"Man, I think Dr. Simms needs to up your meds," Terry commented with a shake of his head. Immediately, Alex threw a burst of_ _lightning at him._

_"Big mistake, Krueger. Terry would __**never**__ say that," he snarled._ _Terry fumed and morphed back into the scarred man. Krueger lunged at him and Alex quickly jumped out of the way. The man hit the wall and Alex opened the door and ran out. Meanwhile, Susan had found herself in a pastel-colored room._

_"Yuck," she muttered. Then, the walls began to ripple. __**Well, **__**that**__** can't be good**__, she thought to herself. The girl took a position of defense and waited. Merely seconds later, Krueger was in the room._

_"Bring it on, creep," she dared. Krueger charged at her, and she did a flip in the air, causing him to miss when he attacked. She kicked him, knocking him back. She waited, holding her defensive pose. Then, he attacked again. Their fight went on for several minutes. Krueger reared back his arm and brought the glove down on her arm. Susan screamed and let out a karate chop, which sent him flying. He disappeared and she clutched her bleeding arm._

_"Bastard," she whispered. Then, she hurried out of the room. Unknown to the others, Joey had found himself in his room at home._

_"What?" he asked himself. What was going on here? It was his room---but an older version of it: pre-Westin Hills. He tried the knob, but found it locked. "What?" he asked again. How could this be? He struggled with the knob and then pounded on the door. Then, he heard them: the sounds that had haunted him all through the previous year. He increased his effort to open the door._

_"Dad! Dad!" he shouted. __**No, no, no, no, no, no, no! I don't wanna hear this again!**__ he thought to himself. "Dad! __**DAD**__!" he screamed. The choking/yelling got louder. Joey panted and his hands dropped. "No. No, please. Not again," he whispered. He stumbled backwards, hitting the wall. "No. No. No," he sobbed, sinking to the ground. He couldn't---he couldn't handle hearing this again. Suddenly, he found himself in the air. His eyes widened in fright when he saw Krueger. He opened his mouth to scream, but the man pressed his fingers against his throat, cutting off his air supply. Joey gagged. Back in another part of the house, Kristen was trying to find the others. A door opened._

_"Roxie!" she exclaimed in relief._

_"Kristen!" the other girl cried. They ran to each and hugged briefly. _

_"Do you know where the others are?" Kristen questioned. _

_"No. I got totally lost," Roxie answered._

_"Yeah, I understand. This place is a maze," Kristen agreed. There was a blinding flash and both girls covered their faces._

_"Alex," Roxie complained._

_"Hey, sorry. You just can't be too careful in this place," Alex apologized, coming into the room. Behind him were Nancy, Dr. Gordon, and Susan._

_"Where's Joey?" Nancy questioned. _

_"Isn't he with you guys?" Alex asked. They shook their heads. It was then that the group noticed Susan's injury._

_"Are you okay? What happened?" they asked._

_"Krueger and I got into it. Bastard cut me," Susan answered. Kristen gasped._

_"What is it?" Roxie questioned._

_"Freddy---he's got Joey," Kristen responded._

_"Come on," Nancy said. They rushed off. Joey gagged as he struggled against Krueger's grip. Krueger chuckled as he let the blades touch Joey's skin._

_"Now…why does __**this**__ seem familiar?" he questioned. "Oh, that's right," he oozed. "It's just…like…daddy," he smirked. Joey's eyes darkened. It had been __**him**__? He had gone through hell because of __**him**__? Before Krueger even knew what was happening, Joey's claws came out and gutted him. With a roar of pain and surprise, he dropped his victim and Joey kept slashing at him, as he quickly caught his breath._

_"I'll kill you slow!" Krueger growled. Joey opened his mouth and screamed. The nightmare man winced and disappeared. The others blanched._

_"What is __**that**__?" Alex questioned._

_"That's Joey," Kristen answered._

_"Follow the scream," Nancy instructed. Everyone did so. When they got there, they saw Joey slumped against the wall._

_"Joey?" Nancy asked. He didn't answer._

_"Joey, what's wrong?" Kristen wondered._

_"It was __**him**__," Joey said hoarsely. There was no need to ask who he was talking about._

_"What was him?" Dr. Gordon questioned._

_"Krueger did it. He killed Dad," Joey told them._

_"Oh, Joey," Nancy said sympathetically._

_"I went through hell because of that bastard," Joey snapped angrily. He punched the wall angrily._

_"Joey," Dr. Gordon said._

_"I want him. I want him __**bad**__," Joey growled._

_"After we save Michael, you can have him…as long as you save a piece for me. I wanna make him pay for taking Kincaid," Kristen answered._

_"Deal," Joey agreed. They slapped five. Then, they all headed out. As they walked, Dr. Gordon found himself glancing at Kristen and Joey worriedly._

_"It's not polite to stare," Nancy told him after a while._

_"Nancy, they're not thinking straight. They're going to get themselves killed," Neil responded. Almost immediately, they heard the sound of Krueger's knives._

_"Jeez. That is getting __**so**__ annoying," Alex muttered. Just then, a door materialized right in front of them! Everyone gasped in shock. _

_"Um…does this go anywhere?" Joey questioned._

_"Yes," Kristen answered. The door opened and everyone stepped through. The kids looked around. Kristen's eyes widened._

_"MICHAEL!" she screamed. The group followed her gaze. Michael had been trussed against a pipe and shackled above what seemed to be a bottomless pit._

_"Are those---__**tongues**__?" Neil asked feeling nauseated. Joey blanched. He remembered how slimy those things had been. Why Krueger had used them on Michael, he had no clue. There came another scree and the kids winced. There was a chuckle as Krueger came out. Joey inhaled and exhaled nervously and glanced at Kristen who seemed to freeze._

_"Michael," she whispered, looking from her boyfriend to his captor. Krueger chuckled._

_"All the little piggies in a row," he sneered. "Come to save your little friend? Well, you're too late!" With that, he released the boy._

_"NO!" Everyone rushed towards their friend. Joey was the first to reach him._

_"Gotcha," he grunted, grabbing Michael's hands. Kristen and Susan charged Krueger, flipping through the air. Both girls kicked him and he fell to the ground. Alex and Roxie hurried to help Joey as Nancy joined Kristen and Susan. Dr. Gordon just stared in confusion and shock. What was going on? He hadn't been expecting any of this. Joey struggled to hold on to Michael. __**Now I know how Nancy felt**__, he thought to himself. Suddenly, he was aware of Alex and Roxie beside him. Together, the three pulled Michael up. Meanwhile, Krueger was being knocked back by Kristen, Susan, and Nancy. With a roar and a wave of his hand, they all flew back. Dr. Gordon started towards them, but was also thrown back. Krueger chuckled and advanced on Nancy. _

_"__**You**__," he sneered. Nancy groaned and sat up, trying to catch her breath. Kristen and Susan tried to sit up, but they were winded from the impact. Krueger leaned down and grabbed Nancy by the throat, his knives pressed firmly against her face. He laughed sinisterly. Soon, the Thompson bitch would be dead and the other brats would follow. Nancy grunted and tried to bring the switchblade up. However, she was slammed against the wall, causing her to drop it. _

_"Nancy," Kristen said. She and Susan got up and were about to charge the man, when they were thrown back with a wave of his hand._

_"Gonna get you," he whispered leeringly, causing a shiver to run down Nancy's back. That was the voice he had used in the boiler room the time she had burned her arm on the pipe to escape him. He laughed maniacally._

_"NANCY!" Kristen shouted. As Krueger choked the life out of her, Nancy numbly became aware of only one thing left to do, so she did. She swung a leg out, kicking Krueger in a very sensitive spot. The man howled and she smiled grimly. Apparently, even though he was technically dead, the same rules for his gender applied. As soon as she was released, Nancy quickly grabbed the switchblade._

_"Rod taught me that," she snapped. "Let me show you what else he taught me." Before the man could even recover, Nancy spun around and gave him a roundhouse. Then, she slashed at him with the switchblade. He groaned and Nancy kept slashing at him as well as kicking and punching. As she did so, the others noticed that she seemed to be leading him somewhere._

_"Where is---" Joey began to ask, then it clicked. "The furnace! Of course! Come on!" he said to Alex, Michael, and Roxie, who soon followed him. Meanwhile, Kristen, Dr. Gordon, and Susan had also realized what the older woman had in mind and hurried to join their friends. Joey and Alex struggled to open the furnace. Yeah, he had put Kristen's hand on the metal, but he hadn't actually opened it._

_"Man, I wish Kincaid were here," Joey grunted. Almost as soon as he had said that, he found the door swinging open. Surprised, he turned his head to see Susan beside him. He looked to the other side to see Roxie and Alex. Finally, they got the door opened._

_"Nancy, now!" Joey shouted, as they all moved out of the way. Nancy kicked him and Krueger stumbled towards the metal door. The woman gave one last kick. As he toppled in, Krueger grabbed Alex._

_"Come here, little piggy," he snarled._

_"Alex!" the kids cried. Joey reached towards him, but the boy was too far in._

_"NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Joey shouted. Krueger released the boy to cover his ears and the others quickly pulled their friend out. Then, they shut the furnace, trapping the man inside. He screamed in pain and anger. As soon as it was safe, Kristen concentrated intently. _ Instantly, everyone was back in the room for group. They all stood up.

"Michael!" Roxie exclaimed in relief. The brother and sister hugged.

"Way to go, little sister," Joey said affectionately, ruffling Kristen's hair. _Little sister. Kincaid used to call me that_, she fondly thought to herself.

"Did---did we do it?" Susan questioned.

"Yeah. He's gone," Nancy answered positively.

"Man, I swear, as soon as I graduate, I'm gettin' **out** of here," Joey said, as they headed out the door. Dr. Gordon frowned thoughtfully as he listened to the others talk. So they had finally done it. They had finally defeated the horror known as Fred Krueger.

THE END


	23. Joey Learns About Kincaid's Death

DELETED SCENE #1 JOEY LEARNS ABOUT KINCAID'S DEATH

Joey bounded up the steps and into the entrance of Springwood High. He was feeling pretty good this morning. He and his mom hadn't even gotten into a fight, which in itself was pretty much a miracle. He walked into the halls, expecting to find Kincaid. However, his friend was nowhere to be seen.

"Kincaid?" he asked into the crowd. This was the usual method, he, Kristen, and Kincaid used if they couldn't find each other. "Kincaid?" he questioned, walking and searching the crowd. "Kincaid?" he asked, pushing through the kids.

"Hey! Watch it!" someone shouted.

"Sorry. Have you seen Kincaid?" Joey questioned.

"Why would I look for that freak?" the boy responded.

"Ass," Joey muttered to himself, moving through the crowd, and eventually coming upon a group of people talking as some of the other students were being questioned by police officers.

"What's going on?" Joey wondered.

"According to the cops, someone broke into Kincaid's house last night. They didn't say anything to us, but I overheard one of them say that he was slashed with some kind of razor," a boy answered. Joey's eyes widened. _No. Not Kincaid_, he emotionally thought to himself.

"NO!" he exclaimed.

"Son, is everything okay?" an officer asked, coming over to them.

"HE KILLED HIM!" Joey shouted.

"Is this about the Kincaid boy?" the officer asked.

"She warned us. She told us he was coming back, and we didn't listen," Joey continued. "Oh, man. Kristen!" he said. Before anyone could stop him, he ran off. "Kristen! Kristen!" he shouted, pushing through the crowd.

"Joey!" he heard someone shout. _Oh, thank God_, he thought in relief.

:Kristen!" Joey cried.

"Joey!" Kristen shouted in relief.

"Kristen!" Joey yelled again, as both friends pushed through the crowd.

"Joey," Kristen sobbed, falling into his arms.


	24. Alex Is Grabbed By Krueger

DELETED SCENE #2 ALEX IS GRABBED BY KRUEGER

Alex Friedman sat in a chair in his room, frowning thoughtfully. How could he get the doctors to understand that none of them were crazy? How could he make them see that someone was trying to kill them all? Well, at least **one** of the doctors seemed to be taking him seriously: Dr. Thompson had already gotten into it with Dr. Simms and Dr. Carver over his nightmares. He liked Dr. Thompson. She actually listened. His head drooped and then he jerked awake. He had to--he had to stay awake. His eyes closed again. _Suddenly, he felt someone wrapping something wrapping around his hands. As his eyes bugged out, his hands flew to his neck. He looked around the room and noticed that the curtains to his windows were missing. __**What? How did that happen? **__He wondered. Someone chuckled. Suddenly, a saw a burned man materialized right in front of him. In his hands were the curtain windows. "Wha--" he started to ask. His question was cut off when the man yanked him out of his seat and began dragging him down the hall_. Meanwhile, Susan Kline was walking down the halls, greeting some of the other kids. Then, she and one of the other kids noticed Alex stumbling down the halls.

"What the--" she asked. Alex gagged and looked at them. His hands up at his neck as if trying to tug something off.

"Help me," he managed

"Get help!" another boy shouted. Susan ran off, only stopping long enough to grab a cart from a very startled nurse. Then, she ran down the halls, slamming the cart against the doors.


	25. Joey's Flashback

DELETED SCENE #3 JOEY'S FLASHBACK

"That doesn't explain anything, and what does she mean dream powers?" Michael chimed in.

"It's who we are and what we can do in our dreams," Joey said. "Like her gymnastics, and my voice," he continued.

"And she's also able to be pulled into somebody else's dream?" Michael asked.

"Well, actually, that's new too 'cause she's usually the one doin' the pulling," Joey answered.

"Huh?" Michael questioned.

"Yeah, I can bring people into my dream…you know, when I don't take my Hypnocil," Kristen added.

"So, what do we do?" Joey asked. . Before anyone could answer, they all heard a banging sound.

"What the--" they all followed the sound and found a girl running down the halls, banging a cart against the doors. Joey's mind flashed to when he had done the very same thing with a food tray. _** Joey ran down the halls, banging the food tray against the doors. **_The boy caught up with the girl and turned her around.

"Where?" he asked.

"South Wing--he's dragging him toward a ledge," she answered.

"Go!" Joey cried. She continued as he turned around and ran off, with the others close behind.


	26. Alex's Powers

DELETED SCENE # 4: ALEX'S POWERS

_Alex struggled against the man who had him. He couldn't let him kill him, but the curtains had been tied so tight around his neck, and he couldn't get free. Suddenly, he felt someone grab his arm, even though no one was there._

"Come on man, wake up," _he heard someone urge as his body moved back and forth as if someone was trying to wake him up. __**Yes, **__**please**__**. Wake me up! I don't wanna die!**__ Alex thought frantically._ _ The burned man frowned, as if sensing the mystery person and began to pull him forward. Whoever it was tightened their grip and Alex wanted to cry out in pain, but couldn't because of the curtain noose._

"COME ON, MAN! DON'T LET HIM KILL YOU!" _he heard someone shout. _Alex's eyes darkened. _He wasn't gonna let this guy get him. He was stronger than this._ _ He let go of the curtain around his neck and looked at the man._ _His eyes darkened even more. He didn't know who this guy was, but he knew he was tired of being afraid._ _ Suddenly, a jolt of electricity went through him, and before Alex even knew it was happening, he had pointed his hands at the man and lightning flew at him. The man roared in pain_. When the light dissipated, the boy was awake.

"Are you okay?" Dr. Thompson asked in concern.

"Holy cow," Alex breathed. What had **that** been?

"What the hell was **that**?" a boy his age wondered.

"Looks like we've got another Warrior," Dr. Thompson grinned.


	27. At Nancy's

DELETED SCENE #5: AT NANCY'S

Joey nervously paced around Nancy's living room.

"I know this is a stupid question, but are you okay?" Nancy queried. Joey blew out a breath.

"How could she do that to me? Never mind hitting me and locking me in my room--but the Hypnocil--it's my only defense. I can't believe she'd take that from me," he responded.

"Why didn't you tell anyone when it first started happening?" Nancy wondered.

"I had just gotten out of Westin Hills and I didn't wanna go back. I guess I should've listened to Kincaid and Kristen, huh?" Joey queried.

"Wait. They knew?" Nancy demanded. _I can't believe they didn't tell me_, she silently fumed.

"Don't blame them. I swore them to secrecy," Joey quickly interjected.

"Joey, now that I know what's going on, I have to call the police," Nancy told him.

"Wha--why?" Joey wondered.

"What your mother's doing is illegal. It's my job to report it," Nancy answered.

"But things just got outta hand tonight. She didn't mean to--" Joey began to say.

"Joey, do you really think it won't happen again?" Nancy interrupted. With a sigh, Joey shook his head.

"She'll probably keep going until she kills me," he said. While a part of him knew this was true, he was still torn. This was his mother. How could he turn on his mother? Nancy went to the phone and dialed a number. She waited a few minutes until the line connected.

"Garcia, hi. It's Nancy," she announced. "Fine, thanks. Listen, I've got a situation here," she continued, and then explained what was going on. Then, "Tonight? Oh, I don't know, Garcia. It's late and he's been through a lot. Maybe tomorrow afternoon would be better. You know, when he has a better frame of mind." They talked for a little bit, and then hung up.

"So, what's going on? Who do I have to talk to?" Joey wondered.

"You're going to have to talk to the police and some social workers. You'll have to tell them **everything** she put you through," Nancy told him.

"Nancy, I don't know," Joey said.

"I made an appointment for tomorrow after school. This way you can get some rest tonight," Nancy stated.

"Thanks," Joey said.

"Now, can I get you a blanket and pillow?" Nancy queried.

"Nah, just tell me where they are, and I'll get 'em myself," Joey responded.

"In the hallway, second door on the left. Good night. Don't forget your Hypnocil," Nancy said.

"Thanks. Good night. I won't," Joey responded. Nancy laughed and ruffled his hair.

"What am I? Five?" Joey complained, pulling away from the gesture. Nancy laughed again and then went on her way. Joey went into the hall, got the blanket and pillow, put them on the couch, took a tablet, and then fell asleep.


End file.
